Let's revisit some characteristics of December energy because last week you were deep in Thanksgiving energy and you may have missed a few things I suggested planning. Do we all agree the energy has shifted? Even though the calendar still says November, we're all in December!

After the Big Meal

The dishes have been cleaned and the company has gone home. Now what? You have a couple of days before you return to your normal weekly routines. Now is the time to plan so you can be a proactive holiday person instead of reactive. This is the time to prevent stress and over spending. It's never about all the things we need to do. It's the order in which we do them, when we do them, and the energy we have when we do them. I want to start to focus on what needs to be done to set up this audience for success on Saturday and Sunday or these situations when we have unique pockets of time. Here's the plan to set you up for success as we go into December!

Before You Unpack the Holiday Decor

Let's plan decorating your home for December.  What does it look like, smell like, and taste like in your home during December? Remember how we asked our family what they'd like for Thanksgiving? Do the same for December.  My family told me it was all about lights for them. So a few years ago I just put up what I wanted and lots of lights.  I thought for sure they'd remember a certain item so I kept everything. But no. And the next year the same. But the dread I felt knowing I had tubs of decor I didn't want to use put a damper on wanting to decorate. After Christmas that second year of not putting out as much I convinced myself to donate all the extras…even childhood items. I felt an epic amount of guilt.  But that next year when I went to get out the decorations all I felt was relief!!  I went from trying to fulfill non-existent family expectations to minimally decorating to donating extras and decorating in record time. But now is the time or you'll blink and it'll be the Monday before Christmas! 

And now is the time to shop! I shop now because the lists are ever changing. This prevents me from spending in September and December thus going over budget.  Lots of time the prices go down or you get better deals like bundles.  It's less time that I have to hide what I bought although this year Organize 365® is the delivery address of choice so I (and all employees) don't have to hide anything.  And this is the shopping energy season. Everyone else is shopping and I love to shop so naturally I want to be shopping too! This is also the time to stock up on cards and gift cards for global gifts for people like your babysitter, teachers, amazon delivery people, your house keeper, trash collectors, and etc.

Winter Break

This is the time of year I normally plan one big outing and a couple of smaller outings. You'll all be home and the kids will be looking for something to do and you probably don't want to spend a bazillion dollars. You can still sleep in, I am just encouraging you to plan something each day. Usually the most fun times come from someone planning it. You can plan an activity or goal each day. I shared how I planned my extra time in episode 683. I want you to revisit it and think about how you could best provide some self care? When the break is over you will feel like you made memories, accomplished a few goals, and ready for January. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Black Friday Sales Catalog

• Episode 683 - PTO Time Just for ME! Modern Self Care

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Are you ready for the 6 busiest weeks of the year? Let's zoom out and look at our family, our houses, and events to orchestrate a place of planning, purpose, and memory making. I wanted to share the energy I feel this time of year and how I manage my expectations of myself and others during this busy season. 

Fed People are Happy People

When I think ahead and plan the food component of Thanksgiving I have much lower stress. Once you get the day before the holiday off of work/school, the day of Thanksgiving, and the next day, plus the weekend; you now need to plan food for 5-7 days. Think about your own weekend habits. You eat differently, you spend differently, and you have a different energy. In my experience when people are fed they are much happier people and then I get to enjoy the holiday too. Think ahead and plan a fun breakfast, have on hand some snacky/appetizer type treats, and what meals you'll have. 

Ok now, on the big day…this is a food holiday!  This is NOT the holiday to try a new recipe or a spin on a favorite dish!  Talk to your family and find out what foods are important to them. Do you need a whole dessert table maybe?  Make sure that "certain" dish is there for the ones you love. Now that could get pricey so here's a tip to cut the budget: Ask that guests to bring their special dish. I've noticed as my eating habits have changed so too must my plate at Thanksgiving. Now I just take a few bites of everything I like and leave it at that. No need to overstuff myself and feel miserable the rest of the day.

Family 

Once all the food is in place you get to catch up with all of your family. Please people manage your expectations. Lean into gratitude for the family you do have. I have lost loved ones, so I choose to be grateful for the family in the room on Thanksgiving. You may need to change a conversation or hop in a game that people are playing to avoid certain conversations. 

And permission to not kill yourself cleaning. Your family is not doing a white glove inspection and they aren't going past the common spaces and a bathroom. Speaking of the bathroom, make sure you have plenty of toilet paper!  You'll need lots of that and dish cloths to ensure others can help with all the dishes and cleaning up!

Fun to include everyone

I love a game being played to infuse fun into the room and include others or people who are joining your family for the first time. You may hear of someone who will be alone on Thanksgiving because loved ones have passed, or travel isn't possible, or other reasons - invite them to join you and your family!  It's that much easier to make memories when fun is in the air! Break out some fun board games and put the Thanksgiving Day Parade on followed by some football. 

And then it's like you have a 3 day weekend after the big day so here's what I do. I shop the Black Friday deals on my phone. Side note: I do want to thank everyone who will be working the Holidays like our first responders and retail personnel. Heads up Organize 365® will be starting our Black Friday sale on Wednesday so no one has to break from the festivities.  I'm also planning to do some holiday baking and normally this is when I decorate for my holiday of choice - Christmas. I hope this helps to reduce your stress this holiday season and let's you be more present in making holiday memories.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I really love Lillian Gilbreth's focus on efficiency for the American home. I'd like to think I'm picking up where she left off. After the war, "men took back their jobs." But did it ever occur to you that women worked at these factories and there were dual income homes before the war? It had not occurred to me.  I wanted to be home but some women wanted to be at work, working in their uniqueness making a paycheck. Now that the soldiers had returned to work, more women were home, the big packaged food companies marketed to her about how to make her life easier.  

Past Mistakes

In the past science has just determined the definition of housework and completed their studies based on it. And human nature is to do the household tasks of your gender, as you saw displayed growing up.  But there's a new sheriff in town and I asked the public how they defined housework and I am so excited to publish my findings. In conducting studies in the past they also used a convenience sample group for their studies; like all college students.  This gave skewed results. 

In one study, they used married couples with children. This also resulted in what I call "He said, She said" about who is doing what housework. And who is doing more. That convenience sample was ok in the 80's because that was roughly 60% of the population; married with children. But now? Married with children only represents roughly 25% of the population. My sample groups will be large and mimic the US Census to accurately reflect the general public.  I want to be able to focus on teaching efficiency for all genders, all ethnicities, and all family compositions. Because I want a single mom, a multigenerational home, or a nuclear family to learn how to get organized, leading to productivity, that reduces household work.

1 Problem 1 Product

It's easy to want to solve one product for one problem but there's an underlying problem. This is how people try to start to organize often. I used a child getting ear infections as an example. The first infection, one product for one problem. But then too many infections and now we need to look at the underlying problem. When you look for one product for problem, you get in this cycle of decluttering to organization and back to decluttering but you never get to move on to productivity because the skill of organization has not yet been learned.  

But just like getting a celiac diagnosis, you must modify your environment to achieve your desired goal. The Productive Home Solution teaches you to declutter, organize, and modify your home. The Paper Solution® teaches best information management practices. The Sunday Baskset® provides a system to optimize all your household manager responsibilities.  The first time around decluttering and organizing can take some time but then it's just maintenance. New milestone, then you modify your environment again but you don't have to learn the skill all over. You just apply it to the new phase of life you are in like a new baby, home, job, or milestone birthday.

The Mission

By now you may have heard Organize 365® is decluttering all work related products and services as of December 31, 2025.  This will allow more time to focus on universal application of the systems Organize 365® offers. I want to answer what is essential housework? How can housework be most efficiently optimized and operationalized? How can we all do less housework? And I plan to focus on testing and disseminating results from studies about systems and methods in the marketplace and in academia. Here's to the next chapter of Organize 365®.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, we're catching up with Monique H. who was a long standing Organize 365® member who went to work for that same community and has run the Sunday Basket Club for the last 7 years. Monique has so many fun projects in the works and we really wanted to talk about exploring new opportunities and reinventing yourself…what's holding you back? 

Monique and I connected on a trip to a conference. Being in the car for a while gave us the opportunity to dive deep into each other's lives and realize we were going through a lot of the same things. It's funny how due to life circumstances you can be in a room full of people and still feel lonely. And we agree that's what the Organize 365® communities offer, the opportunity to connect and know you aren't alone in your "hard." The opportunity to connect with other people experiencing your same struggles and find solutions. 

There is something about a face-to-face conversation and I desperately wanted that for Organize 365®, but I also knew what you do for one you have to do for all. In anticipation of Organize 365® growing, I knew not to offer that. I find myself having more authentic conversations when I know I'm not being recorded for, I don't know…a podcast. My biggest struggle with offering face-to-face services was that my family needed me frequently. So when Covid made us all go virtual, it opened the door to explore the effectiveness of online offerings; it started with Monique leading a paper organizing retreat. What we found was some people didn't have the ability to travel and they felt thankful and included by being able to attend virtually. We have been fortunate enough to fully develop each product line through online offerings. 

Monique has gone through many iterations during her career as an organizer. When she moved to Nashville, she decided to stop offering in-home organization. We talked about how different phases of life can change your bandwidth and with growth our desires of what we want to do for work changes. And as you are coming up with new services or products, it is so important we all remember our value. Like every time you leave your house, you are trading money for time with your family. Make sure it's worth your family's time for you to be gone. And over the years you have gained skills that are valuable. Monique gave permission to us all to pull out skills from our toolboxes that we have used and offered in the past. And that's exactly what she's up to now! 

She's offering organization as a certified paper organizer. No shame in her game and no explanation needed. If it has made you money in the past and people still need or want it, pick it back up! Don't let the things we have to maintain like our houses be a barrier to following your dreams. Monique stressed the importance of building the plane while you are flying it. Create, get feedback, iterate, repeat. It doesn't have to be perfect! She's helping other women to realize this through her coaching services. She's helping women to see success with consistency in their actions in business and life. Get organized with Monique or any of the other certified organizers in the Organize 365® directory.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Paper Solution® Certified Organizer Directory

• Organizing Your Chaos with Monique

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

This time of year we have a lot on our plates and a new perspective can always be helpful. I recorded this episode to give examples of what I presume is happening in all households, but in our minds we conjure up a totally different scenario. In this episode, I am talking about the homes with a married couple with children, which I realize is a small population, with lessons that anyone can apply to life.

Failed Delegation

I think it's fair to say that no one is doing nothing in the house. Some people do less, like in my family, but my little Lisa heart is happy doing all the things, even at home. But when I do feel my capacity waning, I decide to delegate or delete since I know I can't get it done. The other day Greg said, "You do a lot, let me do something for you. How can I help?" So I gave him a couple of small tasks and he asked for more. I thought I was giving him the task of getting the fence installed, but Greg thought it would be a collaborative effort. Then things were lost in communication or lack there of. The fresh perspective here is, if you delegate, delegate the whole task otherwise you end up micromanaging to ensure the task was completed!

Motivational Shift

In my studies I have come across this Self Determination Theory by Ryan and Deci. It explains the 6 levels of motivation. I chose Sunday dinner at our house to show the shift from Amotivation (total lack of motivation) up 4 levels to Integration Motivation (meaning in congruence of goals.)  When we started family dinner at our house, Greg was the cook and I felt obligated to help with some aspect of the meal (AKA Introjection Motivation - do it for approval of clothes-guilt). I would help with the salad and rolls thinking about how much the meal cost us and do the dishes because that's how it was when I was a kid. Whoever didn't cook, cleaned up.

Over time, it has become something that is a part of our family. It's weird if due to a trip or another reason, we don't have Sunday dinner. It's like something is missing. At Sunday dinner I take care of the salad and rolls. I then clean up the dishes and get dessert ready. Identification Motivation - I do the salad, rolls, and dishes because you identify as the person in the family that does those things. My motivation changed. 

Not too long ago, I was blissfully washing dishes after Sunday dinner. My heart was so content with gratitude. It wasn't because I got to wash dishes. It was because Sunday dinner started earlier due to a football game. We had appetizers on all the fun dishes we've collected over the past couple years. Grayson and our dog get so excited when Nana, Greg's mom, comes over. I was washing the dishes we used to dish out the meal that Greg had cooked and it made him so happy. It's great to have our children join us and sometimes their friends will join us, too. We all look forward to it and it's rewarding to everyone. I now experience Integration Motivation, meaning it's in congruence with our family's (or a group's) goal. Our family's goal is Sunday dinner.

As the household CEO, there's always something to do. You need to decide to do it, delegate it or delete it. I'm always trying to gain perspective on why I do the things I do. I'm a fan of longevity and significance. I ask myself what is the significance of this task? How does it help others? Is it necessary? When I consider these questions I can make the decision on what to do about the task at hand, like going to the grocery store, delegating new tasks to a family member, or helping with Sunday dinner. It'll give you a new perspective on that task! 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Organize 365® Podcast Resources

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, we're back with part two of the conversation with my sister, Emily Kelly. The Kelly girls were known for providing good service. We knew good etiquette from all the parties mom threw and the ones we attended with mom and dad. I wanted to babysit for all the party going parents and Emily wanted to execute the parties they were attending. We didn't have a lot of toys. Our mom paid us for 50 cent words (IYKYK, otherwise listen to the full episode) and took us on a lot of learning experiences. We weren't your average kids. We were pretty mature. We learned from an early age about entrepreneurship and business. It's really no surprise that today we are entrepreneurs.

As we mentioned in part one, EMK Incorporated has been reignited and provides household managerial support. To get started again, Emily shared that she made flyers for her condo complex and advertised in their newsletter what services she could offer. Then she worked on contacting her networking list. You could hold workshops at the library or speaking opportunities for people to get a quick win, like get some paper organized. Then you can explain that you do more. People know who you are and are more comfortable continuing to do business with you.  Emily didn't promote her services on social media and you don't have to either. She pointed out to let people know what you have to offer, have conversations about how you could help them, and let them know you will be there to help them when they are ready. She recognizes the emotional component to paper organizing and wants them to be ready. And due to her empathy and excellent results, she continues to get referrals and calls from people who are ready. 

It was funny when Emily started to tell me everything she's been doing, I said "That's The Paper Solution® Certification!" And as we think about that certification, I want you to think, are you short on time or money? If you say time, then think about what you could hire out to give yourself back some time. You can check the Certified Organizers on the Organize 365® website. If you say money, what tasks as a home manager are you already doing that you enjoy, that you could offer to do for someone else? That's what Emily did when she offered to organize people, when she offered to watch their dogs, when she offered to make their scrapbooks. Eventually,  you could get certified and listed on the Organize 365® directory to get more clients. And as I pointed out, the Baby Boomer generation will be needing help with their paper as they age. And Gen X with fewer siblings and it being a small population compared to the generation before and after, will need help too. 

I'd love for the people who need help to easily access help through the directory. And people who need to make money, to help them get their paper organized. Click on the link below to check out the Professional Organizer's Think Tank Podcast (now located in POTT Start) to learn how I started my in-home organizing business so you can get started, too. I just have this vision, wouldn't it be cool if it was common to have paper organizing workshops or retreats going on all over the nation all the time? It's your time to get certified and use your skills to do what you are uniquely created to do.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution® Certification

• Certified Organizer Directory

• POTT Start

• EMK Incorporated

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Lucky! That's all I have to say about all the gaps in insurance I found out about recently. You see, when your insurance guy retires it forces you to look at your policies. I had an eye opening little string of insurance mishaps that will have me thoroughly going through our binders and policies this winter. These are my cautionary tales so you don't find yourself over or underinsured.

The Retirement Party

So our State Farm agent tells us he's retiring and invites us to his party to celebrate. When I asked him what was going to happen to my 11 policies, he suggested I meet all the other agents that were there. I was bamboozled into attending so I could find a new agent. Oh no, no! I asked people that I trust who they use and found my own new State Farm agent. I had all my policies transferred over to him and asked to review the policies and make sure we were all set. 

Paper Validates What You Say

You know how I always say that physical paper validates what you say when you are in the doctor's office? Well now I can share how it works with the Financial Binder, too! I actually have a business binder. So when said new agent came, he discovered I didn't have business insurance. But I could have sworn I already had it. Once he asked me the questions to set up a new policy, I KNEW I already had it! Once I finally remembered to check the business binder at home, I found it. I showed it to the new agent. And putting two and two together, we discovered the first policy was in the business name and I had only transferred my personal policies. Now to find that missing bond. The paper validated what I said. I was able to void the second policy and that saved me $2700!

Poor Abby

I don't know how, but in all of this reviewing of policies it was revealed that I had not added Abby as a driver to our policy. So in the event there had been an accident, the car would have been covered, but not her medical expenses. FIVE YEARS! For five years, Abby has been driving around completely uninsured! I added Joey, but total household manager fail, I did not add Abby. As the COO of this house, I missed crossing this "t."

2024: The Year of Overcommitting

You know we have remodeled and upgraded things around the house so much this year. Which also means we opened a few lines of credit and that led to the question, how much is our mortgage? Greg had one number and I had one $200 less! How could that be? The bank statements showed we were both right, but that made me have a lot of questions. The State Farm agent was able to explain that, ever since we purchased Joey's condo (which was underinsured), we've been paying escrow but we have never escrowed!  So we had to get that all straightened out, too. 

Even the Best Fall Down Sometimes

I discovered incorrect beneficiaries. We added Greg to all the Organize 365® accounts because I was the only signer on those accounts. I mean, I had my eyes opened to so much; you've got to listen to the full episode to hear all the things. As much as you may feel you are set for today, are you "set" for the future? It just goes to show no one has it all together. With that being said, at the end of the day it's up to you as the household manager to dot all the "i's" and cross the "t's" because no one cares what you intended to do. It's up to you to make sure the paperwork is correct. Do you know that song "Collide" by Howie Day? All I can think of is the line in that song that says "Even the best fall down sometimes." Did you sing it? LOL Yes, even Lisa with Organize 365® can fall sometimes. But I am back up and ready to take on whatever "blessings" life gives me.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, the Emily Kelly, my sister, is back! It's been a minute since her raving Organize 365® fans have been caught up on what Emily Kelly is up to these days. Put your surprised faces on when I tell you she's back to being an entrepreneur. BUT she has not settled on just one and I think that is so important to spotlight. Many Americans have a 9 to 5 and a side hustle. Or many people like Emily find purpose and passion and excel in multiple areas. "A man of many talents rarely goes hungry." Such a valid point in today's economy.

Emily was ready to be done at her previous employer and they were ready to part ways, too. She brought up a good point; based on my past experience, America is set up for married people. When you are single, it's scary to leave a steady position. There is no one else to fill in any financial gaps. I had the opportunity to explore what I was uniquely created to do because I had Greg, my husband, supporting our family. We discussed how, just because inflation goes crazy, doesn't mean your salary goes up with it. I shared the gas stipend I gave to full time Organize 365® employees when gas prices went so crazy in 2022. For some people, just coming to work was a huge inconvenience due to gas prices. 

So she has officially fired up EMK Incorporated which is business-to-client relationships. She takes care of anything within your home. People have commented to her that it's good to see her working for herself again and I agree. Emily has a natural skill to build relationships in person. It's a dying art. Relationships are built on trust. Trust will never be replaced with a higher commodity. Relationships are free and your long term investment of time and effort will last a lot longer than ads. And with all the relationships she's built and maintained, she was able to get clients started and start a few businesses on the right path, too. 

Cue Emily's other company Rainmaker, a marketing agency and fractional CMO services, which is business-to-business relationships. She enjoys teaching business owners to fish rather than just giving them the fish. There are so many nuances to marketing and Emily is happy to do the work for them. But she's just as happy to show her clients the ropes and understand how to focus on what makes their business unique and who they are targeting those messages to. She's helping them to look at what they have to offer in print, person, on land, and online to see what marketing makes sense for their business. 

And she's launched Rainmaker Academy! It's a 6-week comprehensive program to really learn the ins and outs of marketing. She'll be offering each week individually so business owners don't have to commit to 6 weeks and they can learn the skills they are looking for. It is a well rounded explanation of all things marketing for a business owner. She and her panel of experts are explaining things like identifying your vision, SEO, successful sales strategy, promotional items, merchandise to sell, and it all ends with a celebration! 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution® Certification Course

• EMK Incorporated

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

By the end of this summer, I knew my trains were not running at full speed. But what had happened? How did I get off course? Even ultra productive people can have seasons that get the better of them. I can't believe how much I accomplished in spite of feeling less productive.  It was one of those seasons where one project led to another and no other area of life helped the situation.

2024: The Year of Overcommitting

It all started in February with Joey's condo needing new plumbing, which led to the perfect time to redo his shower. Then Abby's shower was suspected to have mold and that meant another bathroom remodel. And if we were opening that can of worms, then we wanted to add on an official bedroom for our giant toddler grandchild, Grayson. This kid needed a bigger bed and his own little apartment within his mom's apartment. And while we were doing all of that, it just made sense to give Abby a proper kitchen, minus an oven. Which meant we needed to upgrade our electrical panel for the house. All these projects were supposed to be completed in time for Greg and I's trip to Europe. But you know, permits and whatever, it kept getting delayed. So we decided to take care of all of Abby's stuff when we got back. Who wants to be in contact with a contractor while on vacation? Not me! 

And then there was school demanding more of my time. And a little extra pressure from my family. I had started to do school work at the office because "little baby Grayson" now knows that if my car is home, Lovie is home. And normally Greg wouldn't care if I was not home because he'd be golfing. But due to shoulder surgery in December, he wasn't playing golf. Needless to say, everyone was verbal about noticing I wasn't home as much. I also may have had 3 classes this summer instead of 2 like I'd done in the past; I want to get through this PhD already! I like when my time is at my discretion. I had this productivity debt starting to accumulate and no time to make any of it up, even at work. I could not catch a break!  And believe it or not, we decided to do a little something to our own kitchen, treat Grayson to a playground set for his birthday, which obviously meant a fence, but first we had to take down a shed and a tree. And I was so excited when WOW Window Boxes were at Homearama, we got one of those, too! Like, who am I coordinating all of these projects that normally would have taken me 4 years? It felt good to take some things off the "some day list."

What I Did

I give myself credit for prioritizing tasks this whole time and knowing what can wait. And nightly planning of the most important tasks that need to be accomplished the next day. I exercised planned neglect, like eating out during the kitchen "remodeling" in my kitchen. And ruthlessly going through my calendar. And once you have survived one of these challenging seasons, the trick is to reflect and realize how much stronger you are because of it. Realize the lessons.

Blessings

Upon reflection of this season, I was overwhelmed with the amount of blessings this season provided. I'm very blessed in my life and that is not lost on me. These were all blessings slowing me down and it's a season I'm happy to be coming out of so I can get back to being ultra productive. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Friday Workbox®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Christine F. who lives with her daughter and their dog. Christine was listening to "The Art of Decluttering" in May 2023 and heard me speaking about ADHD. Her daughter had just been diagnosed so Christine's ears perked up. Christine, in education for the past 26 years but currently a counselor for seniors, just kept listening, thinking "Wow, that's a lot!" 

But January 2024 was a turning point for Christine when suddenly she couldn't get enough of the podcast because there was an episode about The Paper Solution® Binders. She had been watching her stepmother settle her father's estate and realized the value of the binders and how these systems helped life. How valuable it could have been if her father had the Financial Binder.

In March 2024, it really clicked as the school pilot programs were being discussed on the podcast about the Education Workboxes. She took the plunge and ordered the Sunday Basket® and Teacher Friday Workbox®. Being a counselor of seniors (who were preparing to graduate and it was nearing the end of the school year) and getting ready to transition to a different teaching position, this gave her order and a system. In her desperation to survive and function, she saw the light of what the Teacher Friday Workbox® could do and that provided motivation to get so much completed so quickly. No one could see how frazzled she was on the inside, but now she had found internal organization.

Shortly thereafter, she purchased everything. She'd always been fairly organized, but she realized she'd been missing systems. Christine is visual so it's best if things are left out so she can see them to remember to take care of them. A friend of hers even noticed a difference in Christine. She no longer had a messy desk. All of her paper had a home and it was accounted for weekly. She loves that she can grab and go. If she has an IEP meeting, she can bring just the slash pocket. And the "Waiting For" slash pocket has been a game changer for her! 

Since the other systems were proven, she decided to go to a Home Planning Day. The biggest take away for her was the number of different ways you look at your time in Home Planning Day. It was clear to her why she could never get all the Sunday tasks done. She changed the timing of some tasks and switched others to different days. Now she gets to enjoy Sunday. It's a resetting of your time and expectations every 120 days, not the rest of your life. There are different energies at different times of the year. Christine knows she'll accomplish nothing in August and now she won't even try after knowing that and planning accordingly. Now she has more time and bandwidth.

Christine's advice is, "Trust the system and just get all of it. If you can only start small, start with the Sunday Basket®. But really, if you get the whole system it can literally organize your entire life." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• Teacher Friday Workbox®

• Organize 365® Home Planning Day

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

It's time for the last three planning days Organize 365® will offer this year. You are probably thinking "Oh, come on! How much more could we plan the holidays?" So much more! So many layers to planning!!

Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day

Think of the Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day like a taste of what we do in the Planning Days for Home and the Friday Workbox®. You will download the workbook and join the webinar. I start with having you think, what do you want the holidays to look like for YOU? Why are you doing what you are doing? Do you like the things you are doing for the holidays? Are there traditions or tasks others enjoy doing that you don't? Could they take them over? You are going to decide if you can adjust expectations, do housework less frequently during this time, how you want to spend this time during the holidays. Where do you have room to accomplish all your goals for the holidays and have fun? My words for the Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day are Projects and Play!! And how can you monopolize on Black Friday to keep your supply chain stocked while saving money? 

The Sunday Basket® is a system that hopefully you have used and have seen the time savings on a weekly basis. And you know it's a replicable system to run your home and delay decision making. But by this time, your Sunday Basket® is bursting at the seams so it's time to get the Holiday Blitz Bundle, a Hunter Green Sunday Basket® and Sapphire Blue Sunday Basket® and a set of Rainbow 1.0 Slash Pockets, to set aside paperwork for 2025 and keep holiday actionable papers at the forefront to execute the holidays the way you want to. 

Friday Workbox® Planning Day

With the year winding down, all critical work should be done by November 21st because people are going to start mentally checking out. So with that in mind, no meetings are going to be terribly productive so take the time to plan 2025…the first quarter, anyway. Scratch the itch to plan by attending Friday Workbox® Planning Day on December 6th. I have recorded new videos that you can start watching as soon as you get signed up to prepare for this planning day.  Prep your calendars, revisit all your administration work in the green slash pockets, update any systems to start 2025 feeling prepared to be ultra productive. 

Home Planning Day Prep & Home Planning Day 

We will have Home Planning Day Prep on December 27th. The first hour you will process through your holiday basket which we will transition to a tax basket. And you will combine the sapphire basket back to your regular Sunday Basket®. And all the archive papers will go into your The Paper Solution® Binders, keeping them up to date.

The 4 hour live webinar for Home Planning Day is on Saturday, December 28th. We will be planning the next 120 days, 4 months of your household manager responsibilities, your small business. Lots of new videos for this planning day, too! Joey even put together a playlist so you can get started watching videos and listening to the podcast just as soon as you are registered.

I try to be your economic forecaster, giving awareness to upcoming events that may catch you off guard otherwise. Each 120 days that we plan for in Home Planning Day have different energies. Think of any Golden Windows you may have coming up. Is this the time to plan on a meaty project? You will ask yourself, what are the advantages and limitations of the current season of life that you are in? We spend a lot of time analyzing your time! Breaking it down and looking at multiple ways you could be using it. You will create routines for morning, afternoon and evening for Monday through Friday and for the weekend. Our Saturday and Sunday energy is different, too! 

Won't you join me in my maze of planning days?

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day

• Holiday Blitz Bundle

• Friday Workbox® Planning Day

• Organize 365 Home Planning Day Prep & Home Planning Day

• The Paper Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I reintroduce you to Lorie G. Lorie lives with her dad but still has her own place, too. I hope you remember previous episodes with Lorie. There were some fun things going on in her and her dad's life that I thought would be fun to share with you!

Lorie and her 95 year old dad decided to take a trip from southern California to Dallas to see family. Lorie was so prepared. She created a whole binder for the trip complete with daily itineraries, pre-selected outfits, and medical information about her father. Lorie had created a little to-go packet (small version of the The Paper Solution® Medical Binder) that was more convenient to travel with. Lorie noted that all this planning allowed her to be present on the trip. But nothing could have prepared them for all the car troubles they encountered. She was thankful they traveled with cash because that was the only way to pay the tow truck out in the middle of the desert. 

In the Medical Binder, Lorie keeps a vitals check tracker sheet she made. We both agreed it's important to know what is normal for the person you help care for. Let's say she brings her dad in and his blood pressure is high. It might be high for the average person, but she has physical evidence showing a history of this being his normal. Lorie knew something was off with her dad one morning before one of his appointments. She called ahead to tell the doctor, they called ahead to the hospital, and Lorie brought his Medical Binder. Her dad asked why and she said just because she wanted to. If they needed paperwork, she'd have it. In the past they have not been able to access test results, but Lorie has had the physical copy. And there's something to be said for a doctor to look at the paperwork and be able to carry on a conversation with you, too. But sure enough, unbeknownst to him, he needed to go to the hospital and they were already expecting him. It was a smooth transfer all because Lorie knew what was normal for her dad. 

Lorie loves her dad dearly and keeping him in top shape is what she's doing. She took a room that wasn't being utilized well and turned it into a "fun zone" with wellness stations to encourage him to move. Lorie put a tv in so they could do workouts together; he's got a recumbent bike, tension bands, and room to stretch. 

Along with movement, Lorie makes sure she and her dad eat well. Back when she was a teacher and had an hour commute, she'd be too tired to cook when she got home. This birthed "Crazy Cooking Day." Much like how I like to get all my machines working for me at one time, Lorie gets her crock pot, insta-pot, stove top, and oven all working at the same time. In 4 hours, she can prep up to 60 meals for them to eat well for awhile. She makes individual servings. And she saves money by bulking up on sale items that go into those dishes. She's mentioned it many times in the Organize 365® community app - go look for the directions. And if it's a going out night, they just scratch off a circle from the sheet Lorie made to see what restaurant they are going to! Lorie created one for field trips too so they can get movement somewhere other than just the fun zone.

Lorie's advice is, "The Medical Binder is critical for everyone in your family." And I added that it may just be you who needs one. If something happens to you, then your family has all the pertinent information. If you are adopted like Lorie, it's even more valuable. It's so important for us to know our own medical data to be more participatory with our wellness/illnesses course of action.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I've stopped apologizing for my natural energy that drives me to want to be productive. And I want the same for you. Ultra productive people are so proactive that they have a plan B, C, D, and so on. They are prepared to zig, zag, and pivot at a moment's notice whenever plans change.

What Do You Do Now? 

Ultra productive people capture all their ideas for a rainy day (eh hum, pink work). For me, that "rainy day" came this year when I was supposed to have jury duty. I went through my slash pockets and planned all those tasks for the week(s) I knew I was going to have jury duty. If I didn't get summoned, I had work to do but it didn't need to get done. When I arrived at the courthouse, they announced there would be no case and we were absolved from the remaining two days that week. If this happened to you, what would you do? I think a lot of people sit in "I don't know what to do" and the day gets wasted. I however, thought through my options and decided going into work and finishing some important administrative tasks was the most beneficial use of my time. 

When I was still doing in home organization. I developed an A/B schedule. It never failed that a client would cancel. I wouldn't know what to do because I had planned on working. So my day would go to waste. That is, until I came up with what I needed to do on the days I wasn't scheduled for out of the house work and days I worked from home. If an out of the house day became a work from home day, I knew exactly what I needed to do. It was like my plan B. 

Time for Everyone Including Me

Seems like the mom is always offering to help and pour into their family, but does the family ask the same to the mom? No. It's just facts, I think. So go ahead and pour into yourself too!  I am pouring into me the same way I pour into them. I think about my time A LOT! I think about tomorrow, the week, the month, the next 6 months. I look at my color coded calendar and make sure everyone I love is getting time, that I have set aside enough time for the PhD and work, and now I include ME!  

Sunday Basket®/Friday Workbox® Love

I have bountiful pink slash pockets. I have a lot of house projects, trips I want to take, and things I want to try/do. They are in a safe place, the Sunday Basket® for my house and the Friday Workbox® for work ideas. Greg and I went to Home-A-Rama and there we saw Wow Window Boxes. I knew all about Wow Window Boxes because it's been tucked away in my Sunday Basket® since 2017 when I had received an estimate. I spilled the beans that I was going to ask for it for Christmas. Much to my surprise, Greg said we could do it now. So we did it in time for Thanksgiving!!  

You know when you have a plan for your day and then something takes it off track? I always struggle with how annoying it is. But then, I dig into my Sunday Basket® or the Friday Workbox® and there are all my ideas and slash pockets waiting to be executed. They turn into my plan B, C, or sometimes D. I have proactively filed them away in the correct slash pocket, then I can decide how much time I have and what kind of energy I am feeling.

These are just a few ways I am unapologetically proactive so I can be ultra productive. For my family and Organize 365®, I am where work comes from. I love it. I am uniquely created to help others become ultra productive, too! 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Friday Workbox®

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway 

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Mary H. who is married with two sons and a dog. Mary has always been a fairly organized person, but she was looking for productivity tips. She listened to "Best of Both Worlds" and heard about the Sunday Basket®, but first invested in The Productive Home Solution®. 

On her 40th birthday, she was ready to burn it all down. There was a lot of change from switching up her position at work, to the world coming out of Covid, to retiring from a side business. She decided to revisit old podcast episodes. She was looking for new ways to do things. Before, when Mary had heard about the Sunday Basket®, she questioned, "Why would you delay what you can do today?" But after revisiting the podcast and trying new ways, she experienced the benefits. When her husband mentioned taking the boys mini golfing, she was able to help him locate the free round of golf she knew she had. It was a win-win. She could easily tell him where it was and they got to use the coupon.  

When we started recording, Mary shared she was packing for a Make-A-Wish trip granted to her son. Her son has recently recovered from cancer. But we talked about that unsure time and the systems Mary had in place to keep her son comfortable and her family going. When her son was diagnosed they gave her a binder, but Mary added useful things like checklists and it took the place of a would be Medical Binder. I just had to reference one of mine the other day. How cool is it that information from 20 years ago can help us make informed decisions for today and the future?  

Mary also invested in the Kids Program. She admits her kids haven't participated so much in learning, but it has helped her understand how to facilitate them decluttering and organizing. She used the system 1) to keep the item and keep it in his room, 2) to say the child wants to keep it but not in their room, and 3) to toss or donate. Mary and her son were surprised with how much he got rid of. They were able to donate those toys to another child. 

Mary is thankful for the voice of reason through the podcast to focus on the important stuff and continually be thinking of how to always be improving. Mary has always been good to take time for herself, but she can enjoy it now without guilt knowing all the things will get done. She wishes she'd valued trying things in different ways. Just because one way works doesn't mean another way could be even better and more efficient. While she admits she hasn't used all of the products to their fullest potential, she's found immense benefit from the items she's purchased and all of the free content constantly offered from Organize 365®. 

Mary's advice is, "Don't be afraid to invest in all of the Organize 365® stuff." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• The Paper Solution®

• Organize 365® Kids Program

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I recently hosted this webinar for those of you who have been displaced by a direct sales company closing their doors or anyone else looking for a new opportunity. In my years of being a household manager, a profitable direct sales team leader, and now running Organize 365®, I realized how similar running a house and running a business are when it comes to the significance of systems. I know recently some direct sales companies have closed their doors or have announced they will soon. There are three ways I shop and I'm sure you do, too ... Amazon, an ad on social media recommends something, or a friend mentions a product and you order it. After Covid, we never really went back to shopping at the in-home parties. People seem to purchase directly from the company and it's collapsing the direct sales model.

Revenue 

I started in Mary Kay and then tried my hand, successfully I might add, in many other direct sales companies; twenty three to be exact! In talking to my teams, it became clear they weren't making much money and some weren't making any. You see, you are the direct sales company customer and your customers are your customers. They market to you the consultant with all the latest and greatest products. You stock up in hopes of sales that lots of times never happen. Then you are left with last season's products. I started teaching my teams how to be profitable. Profitability gets your spouse's "buy-in" and you get to keep doing the thing. I've explained a lot of Lisa Math or Economics to my teams, which I did in this episode too. Too much to fit in here; definitely give this a listen. You have to be profitable to call it work or a business. Not how much have you sold or what work activities you have completed. In whatever company has recently made announcements about closing their doors, were you profitable?

This coffee chat is for the consultant that is displaced and wondering what's next? I want to say from the bottom of my heart, you are amazing. This is happening for you not to you! Second, get all the emails you can from your current clients. Get the last orders you can and continue to grow those relationships and your unique personal brand. We buy from people we like. Yes, they like the product, but they are buying from you because they like you. After the final days, just enjoy the holidays. Enjoy your family. You are going to be ok! I wanted to get this information out to help you understand the market shifts and how to make an informed decision on your next move. I'd love for you to consider gaining certification to be an organizer through Organize 365®. 

What do you want? 

End of the year may be the perfect time to attend a planning day and get a plan in action for 2025. If you were making money in the previous company, what were those funds going to? What are you willing to do to replace that income? Clean houses? Tutor? Think of what services you could offer for $40/hour. Once you know how much you need weekly or monthly, you can figure out how many hours or services you need to complete. And then you can start to focus on what you are uniquely created to do which may not be the products you were previously selling. You can explore all of that in Planning Day.

Community 

People feel lonely and isolated. We all want community and connection. This is something Organize 365® can readily provide. If you know you were uniquely created to help others get organized, please consider getting certified. This is not direct sales or multi-level marketing. It's a license you receive with affiliate commissions. We offer community through the app, others who are certified and our retreats. I loved the retreats and the women I was doing business alongside and I want that for people in Organize 365®, too. 

In my opinion, hands down, community is the most difficult to grow or replace. Like minded people who resonate around one product and where you can authentically be yourself. You can grow your community in groups of people with the same interest as yourself, church, or maybe the parents of the kids on your child's sports team. I can't wait to hear what everyone does who is facing a new opportunity!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Organize 365® Home Planning Day

• The Paper Solution® Certification

• CustomerService@organize365.com

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media.

Ultra productive people think about time differently and likely have kids that are older and are not totally dependent on them. When you are aware of HOW time passes, you can be very intentional and that results in productivity on a whole other level. I wanted to share how a normal person, a productive person, and an ultra productive person sees time. 42% of our lives are lived habitually. Ultra productive people audit their habits to support their goals to accomplish them faster. 

One Day

A normal person has a general idea of how their day will go and they'll try to check everything off the to-do list that never gets done. A productive person usually has a morning and night time routine that is habitual - they're on autopilot. They have all of their work on their calendar, too. 

However, an ultra productive person will have reviewed the plans the night before and have overarching goals for each day. I shared that mine are Monday/Thursday/Saturday; I am focused on the PhD. If a little free time comes my way on one of those days, I will do something to move my studies forward. Tuesday and Wednesday are for Organize 365®. Fridays are catch all to take care of loose ends or finish a task that kept getting pushed off earlier in the week. And Sundays are for family. However, if football is on I know I am off the hook and I can do something I'd like to do, like a puzzle or whatever. 

One Week

Now let's look at the differences when it comes to one week. Normal people are looking for anything out of the ordinary that may be coming up. Productive people know how to accurately anticipate how long tasks will take them and schedule the work accordingly. 

But next level, ultra productive people have everything on their calendars. They have reviewed the week and are prepped and ready. They know drive time, how long breakfast takes, if they have time to start a new task, where they can squeeze in a bathroom break, when they are paying bills, and things like how much time they spend with their families. This also allows flexibility because they know how long things take and what they can squeeze into small pockets of time that become available, possibly something from next week to get further faster.  

One Month

Again, a normal person is going to look for anything special, out of the ordinary that they will need to plan, like birthdays, holidays, or meetings. This person also has a monthly grocery list and to-do list and chores. 

An ultra productive person is aware of the energy of that time of year. Summer may not be the best time for a remodel with the kids home. Or maybe it is because you can play outside. They think ahead of ways to reduce anxiety. Are trips scheduled too close? Do you have the right balance of activities to keep your kids happy? Before amazon, I'd buy the kids things from their wish lists to avoid the stress of trying to find it at a good price during Black Friday or, heaven forbid, telling the kids the store sold out. 

Two Months/Quarterly

Some months lump together. A great example is November and December. Just look at those two months like an 8-week month. Which leads me to the planning days that we do three times a year. That's the cycle because that's how the energy is broken up. Three mini years, LOL. We plan for the most productive weeks and the holidays/winter being September to December, then January to  April where you may plan a spring break trip or a house project, and then May to August, when the kids are out of school and it's summer. Tag you're it, the camp counselor; hope you planned on it! But you also consider time. Does Monday to Friday look different than Saturday or Sunday? Do you need to change chores to a different day? Will you be experiencing a Golden Window? When we understand time, we can better plan to get ultra productive. And that's why we prep planning day and have planning day. 

Food for thought until next week - I got called into jury duty. Right before we were to be seated, we were notified the parties had reached a settlement and we were done for the day and actually the next two days; so basically three days. What would you do if you got all that time back? 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sunday Basket® Weekly Planning Sheet

• Rainbow Weekly Planning Sheet

• Rainbow 52 Week Planner

• The Productive Home Solution® Monthly Planning Sheet

• 2 Year Dated Planning Calendar (through 2026)

• Organize 365® Home Planning Day

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Ashley M. who is married and has two little boys running around the house. Ashley, an executive director of a Montessori teacher education program, has always been a fairly organized person and interested in efficiency. But when she stumbled upon Organize 365® in the fall of 2022, she was interested in productivity. She'd been listening to the Best Laid Plans Podcast and had read The Paper Solution book, both of which mention the Sunday Basket®. Ashley loves to read and one Organize 365® product led to another; she enjoys the podcast, too!

Ashley found peace in letting the Sunday Basket® be her external brain. She noted as moms, there's constantly a lot coming at you because you are caring for a lot of heartbeats. She also has The Paper Solution® Binders which is what Ashley valued the most because again as moms, there is a lot of paperwork. She likes that with the Sunday Basket® she is only dealing with actionable paperwork. She knows all of her ideas have been captured and can be revisited later. Ashley also pointed out that the Sunday Basket® helps her to execute big plans as well as daily life tasks; and the fact that it grows with your family.

In 2021, they bought a larger home and then she had her second son. With the Sunday Basket®, you just add a slash pocket for a new child or sport. And in the binders, you add traditions or health progress as the children grow. I also pointed out that you can do the same if you start caring for a family member. It's customizable for the phase of life you are in. Again, that's why we do Home Planning Day, to adjust.

And the same thing holds true for The Productive Home Solution®. Ashley has established a lunch/treat station so she doesn't have to think so much about it when preparing lunches. With Ashley's husband being taller, she's placed the items he uses in the higher cabinets. And for her one year old, his sippy cups are lower, which adds to efficiency in their kitchen. Efficiency is a muscle Ashley has been growing as she has become aware of patterns and cycles. She loves that all the products together remind her when to think about what; like reminders about dentist visit times, household chores, traditions for holidays, and even a special birthday treat that she'd probably otherwise forget about. 

Ashley said that if she feels at peace, then she knows she can do something for herself with any extra time. But if she's feeling chaos creep in, she knows she can easily get back on track with a little tidying or planning. Or she can look at her calendar and decide what she wants to "put back" and tackle another time. She has so much more calm and confidence that she's keeping track of things. There's more space for dreaming now that she's out of survival mode. She's thankful the system just works and there's no need for rewriting it, no improvements needed.

Ashley's advice is, "You can get on the other side outside of anxiety, chaos, and overwhelm with Organize 365®" 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• Organize 365® Home Planning Day

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Ultra productive people act in real life how normal people act before they go on vacation. Before you go on vacation, you think about your paid work and how to set your business up for success in your absence. I know before we go on vacation, we have checklists for packing. It's this constant anticipation of roadblocks. I shared some examples to give real life instances when anticipating roadblocks has come into play. 

Roadblocks

One roadblock I have gotten used to encountering is jury duty; I have been summoned like 8-10 times. Tip: This last time I was summoned for the dates while we were supposed to be in London, but then I saw a "pick your dates" button. Once I knew the dates, I started to delay administrative tasks in anticipation of jury duty. I am careful to still fill up my calendar during jury duty possible dates, but I have the mindset that, if they get done, it's a bonus and if not, that's ok too. I schedule things like cleaning up my inbox and admin tasks; it's kind of fun because I don't normally have time to do those kinds of things. 

Moving Without Moving

I've not moved from my physical address for decades, but in that time I have moved a lot. 2024 has become the year of remodeling. When your kid calls at 6:30am and says a pipe is making a hissing sound but he's going to go back to sleep, you say no! It was simply time to replace the pipes. And while we were at it, the bathroom makeover I wanted to do one day became now. I anticipated the hardwood floors getting ruined so I threw out a crazy solution and the plumber was able to execute it. I also knew it was going to take longer than quoted because it just usually does.

Then baby Grayson grew and grew and grew and now he can no longer use a toddler bed/mattress. He's going to keep growing so we looked at our basement and reimagined the space to include a room for Grayson. The way the floor plan worked out, it lends itself to a galley kitchen. It was kind of like that movie "The Money Pit" where one repair led to another. Next, we upgraded our electrical panel to accommodate all the new appliances. It was originally scheduled to happen before and during our trip to London; I said no way. I anticipated that if the contractor needed me, how it could cut into our vacation. Also by delaying it, Abby would be out for summer from work and we'd have better weather for Grayson to play outside while their home was torn up. Now it's beautiful and will suit Abby and Grayson for years. When you remodel, you move everything out and come back to an upgraded space. It's like you moved, but really didn't. 

Past Informs the Present

We all remember the toilet paper "shortage" during Covid. It was really just the size of the roll. And everyone panicked with the shoremen going on strike. If you understand the supply chain, you can understand when and what to panic about. I knew after everything came to a halt with Covid, that it would be 18 months to three years before we were back to "normal", before the backlog would be cleared. You can be concerned for stuff from China when the western ports are experiencing delays. You can be concerned for medicine, wine, sugar, and other things from Europe when the eastern ports are experiencing delays. And those products are usually here 2-3 months before we are anticipated to purchase them. But toilet paper? That's made right here in the US of A, baby!! No.Need.To.Panic.

Sickness Playbook

The minute I or someone in my family gets sick, I look 7-10 days out to see what needs to get accomplished. Another type of roadblock similar to this is if my mother in law would fall or if  someone goes to the ER. My laundry may get a little backed up or meetings may get canceled, but I work ahead at Organize 365® in anticipation of roadblocks so the necessary work is always done. Our house is fully stocked with medicine, food, and nowadays home delivery services make it even easier to get what you need. I have these wellness pills I pop the minute I think I'm getting sick. Also, my family has bought into the fact that you can talk yourself out of sickness. It's very inconvenient for everyone; don't be sick! LOL 

Anticipating roadblocks is only possible if you understand how time passes which we'll talk about in the next episode.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Products For Getting Organized - Source Naturals Wellness Formula

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Trisha D. who sometimes has a very full house of 8 and sometimes just 4 due to her step children and when they have dad time. Trisha was a follower of Cass with Clutterbug and she'd been talking about the Sunday Basket®. The way Lisa teaches and Lisa's story resonated so strongly with Trisha. With 6 kids to keep track of, the Sunday Basket® really made sense to Trisha and helped with the overwhelm. 

Previously Trisha had been in an abusive relationship. In Organize 365® and Lisa, she found grace, encouragement, to be brave, to be transparent, progress over perfection, and to put herself first to get out of codependency. Trisha pointed out that if you have never been in a healthy organized environment, then you don't know what that looks like. She learned what it looks like and how to accomplish it for herself through the Organize 365® products. 

Despite the differences in functionality of households, the Sunday Basket® can help anyone really, no matter what your situation. Trisha gained so much confidence from organizing and getting control of her life. In her recovery from her past relationship, she appreciates how the systems from Organize 365® can aid in a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). Which brought up the question, does the change in environment change emotion or vice versa? And is it easier to change your environment or emotions? Trisha experienced that once she started organizing, it gave her more bandwidth to focus on redefining reality and healing emotionally. 

Trisha was so impressed with Lisa, this woman who was once depressed and life was a "mess," she started a business, went back to school, and vulnerably shared it all with her listeners. Trisha's big take away from Embrace was when Lisa said, "If you doubt that anyone believes in you, I believe in you!" So Trisha started a Friday Workbox®. It became apparent that her employer didn't appreciate the effectiveness of her using it. So she started her own business! Trisha believes Organize 365® is changing one person at a time, empowering them to follow their dreams. She's been using the Friday Workbox® and it has helped her organize and prioritize the systems of a business. Listen to hear all she has accomplished in three short years. 

Trisha now has more hope, faith, time, capacity, a more full life. She truly learned how to create something from nothing. She values the Organize 365® products as roadmaps to life, like the Warrior MAMA Binder, the Friday Workbox®, and Sunday Basket®. Trish's advice is, "Go for it, whatever way makes sense." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Embrace Self-Guided Retreat

• Friday Workbox®

• The Paper Solution® Warrior MAMA Binder

• Sign Up for  the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Once you are habitually scheduling tasks that lead to consistency with the ability to adapt and be flexible, you may start looking at how to optimize your systems. And once you optimize one system, it becomes a little addictive. I actually became a happier person with optimization. It's like I was competing with myself and I kept winning! I kept asking, "Can I do it faster? Make it easier? Do it on a different day?" This is what truly productive people do, they optimize. 

Reward of Optimizing

Remember the literature I shared about the Invisible Family Load? It noted three aspects: cognitive, emotional, and managerial. The emotional aspect was negative because of the stress or worry you carry by taking care of your family, but the other two were positive. There's a confidence that comes from being able to depend on yourself from planning, a happiness that things are getting produced, happiness from finding "me time," and when you are the one managing it all effectively, that is so rewarding. 

You Can Make New Rules 

I remember when I was trying to optimize my laundry. I tried one load a day, which wasn't right for me. I tried to get it all done over the weekend, but then I was thinking about laundry for three whole days. THEN, I tried to get all the laundry done in one day and that was it for me! I would do laundry on Saturdays while the kids were cleaning their rooms. This worked for a long time. Then when Abby and I were sharing the machines, we worked out a schedule. Now my laundry is optimized on Saturdays again for this phase of life I am in. This is the beauty of Home Planning Day. It's the time to look at your current phase and optimize your systems and make new rules. Greg and I are traveling more frequently; that may push me to consider a different laundry day. I will re-evaluate this during the next Home Planning Day. Kids sports, holidays, work, or summer, all these seasons of life can affect the optimization of systems. 

I realized as summer was approaching this year, that Abby would be home on my normal work from home days because she works for the school system and has summers off. This is not really a problem except for the PhD and recording podcasts. I like to be home alone. This forced me to look at my systems and consider what I needed to do to keep my studying and recording optimized. I decided on a few new rules…Mondays and Thursdays I wear ponytails and that shaves a few minutes off of getting ready in the morning. I ended up moving all my PhD stuff to the office and I decided to study there. All of my supplies are in one space now and all work is done at the office. That way "little baby" Grayson can't distract me either. 

And I will batch record episodes when possible to be 2-4 weeks ahead. I found that when I try to record any further, the energy is off. If it's January and I'm trying to record episodes about March energy and tasks, my energy is off. I'm more passionate about the message when I am in the same energy, too. I played with trying to record first thing in the morning, but that didn't work because that's "Lisa time." I'm not in the right energy yet. I also found by batch recording episodes, it takes less time each episode. I am more efficient when I sit down and crank them out. I can also reference "previous" episodes because I just recorded them!

These are just a few examples of what I have done to optimize my systems. Decide what needs to be in balance and what can be out of balance in this phase of your life to be truly productive.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Organize 365® Podcast Resources

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• Organize 365® Home Planning Day

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Beatrix S. who lives alone after her husband was transferred to a nursing home where he could get care and supervision for dementia. Beatrix found Organize 365® years ago when Gretchen Rubin interviewed me about the book "The Paper Solution." Her first thought was, "What, filing cabinets to binders? Prove it!" Beatrix had always struggled with paper. So she got the book, read it in a couple of days, and found herself joining the 100 Day Home Organization Program (which became The Productive Home Solution®) and getting a Sunday Basket®. Now she says she's hooked.

In 2003, Beatrix reflected on her study and how cluttered it had become again. Please, you need to listen to this insightful poem she shares. She was a minister and has a great way of storytelling. You can hear it in this poem. It was clear imagery of the disarray her study was in. 

It took awhile for Beatrix to wrap her brain around the Sunday Basket® System. She'd not been a part of Organize 365® long when she attended her first Home Planning Day. She also had a couple of unexpected life events, including her husband having a stroke and moving to a nursing home. Beatrix also thought maybe she didn't have anything left to declutter. It'd been a couple of years since she'd followed Marie Kondo's way of decluttering her closet. I pointed out that Marie Kondo is great for decluttering and Organize 365® offers great organizational systems. Beatrix had plenty to declutter and organize. Beatrix was most shocked with her bathroom and how much she'd crammed in there! 

Through the years with Organize 365®, Beatrix has formed a support system of friends. They meet every month and she has found them invaluable with the tough season she is in. Life is good, she acknowledged, but she's deeply sad and fatigued with loving and caring for her husband. Her advice for others in a similar situation is to surround yourself with as many support systems as you can. Beatrix has more time now; time for friends, beautification, exercise, and planning.

She was recently diagnosed with ADHD and it explains so much. Beatrix really wishes she'd had the Friday Workbox® when she was in ministry; she always struggled to finish projects. And she wishes she'd known how to organize paper. She's appreciative of the replays so she can get additional takeaways and the "teacher's approach" I take with the systems Organize 365® provides. We had a nice conversation about the evolution of school and how they support the ADHD brain/learning style. 

Beatrix's advice is, "Start with the Sunday Basket®. If that doesn't work then just start with one drawer." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Home Planning Day

• The Paper Solution®

• Friday Workbox®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

You are scheduled and consistent, but can you be flexible? I am not talking about all of the stuff others want you to squeeze into your week, but you.The things you deemed important to get done and you scheduled, do you have the ability to be flexible in how and where in your day they can get completed? 

Flexibility in the Name of Productivity

Life is chaotic and throws lots of unexpected things at us, throwing a wrench in our perfect little plans. Are you able to overcome these obstacles or do they turn your day into a wasted day? A few ways I am flexible to still accomplish the goals of the day are ways I choose to be flexible. These unexpected changes keep me on my toes and force me to be disciplined to keep my eyes on my priorities.

You can be flexible in when. I wanted to record 4 episodes the other day until Abby needed me. Grayson came with me to the office where I knew I wasn't going to record, but I could still be productive with a different goal of the day. Once Grayson was picked up, I could choose to count it as time with him and use my later in the day "Grayson time" to record. 

I also use "wasted days" to be productive. If I'm out of the office and have a technician coming for one item, why not schedule a few more? The other day I had a technician come for the furnace, A/C, and a person to finish where we modified the wall by the fridge. I did stuff around the house while all these technicians were at my house. 

Another example I'd like to share is if someone in our house gets sick. I'm the mom and it's nice to have mom when you are sick. And I want to be there for my family. So then I look at what's coming up in the week. It's all about the flexible thinking of pivoting. What has to get done, moved to next week, go back in the Sunday Basket®, or scratched off the list forever? 

Pat jokes that at Organize 365®, we pivot so much it's like we're dancing. It's not so much when in the day or how it gets done, it's more about THAT it gets done! Productive people are about completing tasks thus being productive.

The To-Do List Will Never Be Done

Your Sunday Basket® is the keeper of the master to-do list items, right? You go through your basket and determine what must get done in the upcoming week. We like to load up our to-do list but we are frustrated it never seems to get done. Could you be the problem? The trick is to see what can wait, must wait. Let's say you are left with three things that must get done, which is ok. Schedule those, be flexible to ensure they get completed and then…it's up to you! Yes, you could say there's more in the Sunday Basket® and you want to do more. 

But alternatively, what if you used that time for a hobby, relaxing, catching up with friends or family? And I have found the items I delay completing, end up getting done by someone else, are no longer relevant, or don't need to be completed anymore. Also, I want you to think about the last time you completed the items on your to-do list. How did you feel? Like superwoman? Yes! Don't you want that feeling more often? Take care of what must get done and the rest leave so you too have discretionary leisure time. 

Being flexible in the name of productivity is a skill of truly productive people. Truly productive people are also always optimizing. Join me next week as I explain how you too can always be optimizing to be truly productive. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Summer K who lives with her son, husband, and dog. Summer originally found Organize 365® in the summer of 2020 through an ad on Instagram. She made the "mistake" of clicking on it and then it "followed" her. Eventually she visited the website and put a Sunday Basket® in the cart for her mom…annnnd one for herself! She knows the systems now and doesn't fret if a system "breaks" because she can easily get it back up and running.

Summer now lives in Minnesota, but there were a few moves before now and when she found Organize 365®. Instead of decluttering and organizing along the way, she chose to put items in storage units. With the Sunday Basket®, Summer had moved away from filing cabinets. The transformation in her thinking, through implementing the Organize 365® systems, also helped her trim down to one storage unit that she left behind when she moved to Minnesota. After about a year, her brother loaded it up and delivered it to her. Summer had the whole basement set up ready to process that unit in hopes of getting rid of 50% of it…and she did! The systems help you to keep the stuff you want and use versus a filing cabinet or storage unit that allows you to store it and forget it long after it is still relevant. 

Summer is a self proclaimed binder snot. She appreciates a durable functioning binder as much as me! We laughed about how the manufacturers can't figure out how to use quality products and allow all the products inside to function simultaneously. These are the school supplies we need for our life's work. She pointed out that they are a fraction of the price of a filing cabinet and do not allow you to keep outdated papers. And as I shared, I even created a binder for Grayson because while he doesn't have an IEP, he does have OT and other paperwork that is no longer relevant in Abby's binder or the household binder. So where do you put it? You make that person their own binder. We also discussed different binders for different properties. The binders are there, make them work for you so you don't have to think of all the filters you need to go through to get to important paperwork you need. Reduce your cognitive load. 

The Productive Home Solution® (then the 100 Day Home Organization Program) was so helpful for Summer because in the midst of her busy life, when she knew she'd have a 15 minute chunk of time, she'd just look at what she needed to complete next. She'd do it and go back to her busy life. The Productive Home Solution® has evolved over the years to be universal so any person gets the benefits of functional organization. One of the many improvements we have made is a 120 day checklist so you can check off tasks in any order for the amount of time you have. Summer loves this aspect as well as videos that show real life applications. How are real people actually completing the checklists? 

Summer finds so much value in the Sunday Basket® that she gets her assistant's a Sunday Basket® and even has them complete a Friday Workbox® Planning Day. It is important to her that they are talking the same language. In planning, she wants them to know she's talking pink or connections have been made and it's now turning into purple work. Summer also realized she used to keep a very long to-do list until she started putting ideas only on one side and project tasks on the other side. Then she learned she'd separated her pink and purple work. Summer has been in the business of pink work so it was an "aha" moment when she learned about the color coding of the slash pockets. She shared at first she kept thinking her cobbled systems were better. Then she tried the suggested way and liked it better! She has found all of the systems to be very effective in work and home.

Summer's advice is, "Do 6 weeks in a row to build the muscle to see the real value." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• The Paper Solution®

• Friday Workbox Planning Day

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In the last episode we talked about Maria Montessori, her becoming the first female doctor in Italy and her impact on alternative learning methods. Today I'm talking about Lillian Gilbreth who was the first female to get her psychological doctorate in industrial organizational psychology. Lillian is the original "Cheaper By the Dozen" mom who exemplified what it meant to be a successful working mother. 

Lillian Gilbreth

Lillian married Frank, in Rhode Island, in 1904. While growing their family, Lillian and Frank started a company together called Gilbreth Incorporated. She studied how to make the workplace support their workers. She was able to publish many papers about her findings but they were all under Frank's name due to "the times" and women's rights. And I'm sure we don't have some of her work. She was the first person to link scientific management with psychology after earning her PhD in Applied Psychology.  There is a large gap of information and I hope to change that with the research I want to do. Unfortunately Frank passes away when she's 46. 

Lillian's Ideas 

After studying how we use our homes, Lillian came up with a kitchen design. Remember this was back when food wasn't so "grab and go" and a lot of people made things from scratch. There was an assigned space for your ingredients like flour and sugar. Lillian came up with the triangle between your refrigerator, stove, and kitchen sink. Lillian discovered the proper counter height, the pedal trash can, and shelves & egg/butter storage in the door of the refrigerator. There is a whole kitchen that Lillian designed and most of it didn't get implemented into homes. Why? It baffles me! Maybe that's my next move? I think it's so critical for me to get my PhD so that I can publish information that will live well beyond my life span, for future generations. 

Greg often wants to bring up our resale value on our home when I come to him with one of my ideas of how we could modify our home to meet our current phase of life. In all reality I don't see us ever moving but also I want to enjoy my house not just preserve it for resale.  I think kids rooms should be larger, there should be command central for household managers like I saw in Greenfield Village, and much bigger laundry rooms. We buy these homes before we have accumulated all the things including kids and all of their things. We need to make homes more functional for less modification and more productivity!

If money were no object right now, what would you change about your house? 

40's? Just Getting Started

Lillian was just 46 when her husband passed away. And she was just getting started. Time and time again, I learn about people being 45 plus when they made their contribution to society. And throughout history I have also seen these people live longer lives. Women's spouses pass, they continue to raise children and run the household AND live in their passion. There is no science to back it up…yet. But I believe because these people were doing what they were uniquely created to do, they lived longer. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• See Lillian Gilbreth's Step Saving Kitchen, 1949

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Building block #2 is consistency. I liken consistent people to dependable people. They keep a schedule and plug in things that they've said yes to into their current scaffolding which is their calendar, their current plan for the week, month, or year. They say yes, they do what they commit to, and you can count on them. Building block #1 gave you that solid plan, your schedule. Now how do you stay consistent when the unexpected requests come up? 

Consistent People Can Adapt

There was a time when I traded services with a friend. I did her laundry, she made my family meals. I love laundry and by trading for this "service," I got to drop the cognitive load of prepping and cooking meals. However, I had to adjust my personal laundry schedule to accommodate what I agreed to do for her. 

Another example I shared was when the kids were at preschool I did errands. I would do my Sunday Basket® on Sunday. I would pay the bills, plan out meals, and "grant" the family's wishes. Tuesdays, I would drop the kids off and that was my time to zip around town and get all my errands done. My family knew this was the cadence and to get all requests in by Monday at the very latest. Knowing Tuesday was errand day gave me the option to say yes to anyone that needed an errand that I was willing to do for them as well as my own. I knew how much time I had and if I could say yes to additional requests. 

Consistent People Can Say No

When you know where your time is going, you know when you can say yes or no. You know if you will have the capacity. Joey came to me this summer and requested my services (LOL). I looked and knew between trips that were scheduled, PhD assignments, work responsibilities, and managing the remodel of Abby's "apartment," I could not say yes for 6 weeks. I had to tell my own child no. I didn't like doing that and it was a heads up to me to adjust the allocation of my time. 

On the other hand, because I know where my time goes and that I am very intentional to spend time with my family, I can say yes guilt free to something I want to do for myself. It is better for my family for me to be consistent rather than make a commitment every other week. I have a commitment that keeps me late one night every other week. But in the name of consistency for my family, the off weeks I stay at work and take a call with my colleagues. It fills my cup and keeps me consistent with my family. 

Stay Consistent Even When Your Energy is Low

Consistent people stay consistent even when their energy is low because they realize that their future time is as limited as their current time. One glance at your schedule and you can see that project you want to push off to next week, but then oops, you don't have time to complete it next week. This mindset is that of maturity and self discipline. When I had low energy about recording some videos, I knew I'd feel better once I had them completed. And as I have said many times, I am where work comes from. My team could not start working on them until I had recorded them. I didn't not want to put my team behind. And when I looked ahead there was no other time I could record them. You will feel so much better the next day knowing you did what you planned to do and knowing there really wasn't any other time you could have "caught up" later. Just like at the house, I'll see a few quick things I could do quickly. Your future self will thank you when you run that thing upstairs or put something away.

I have had such a full calendar for a while now. I always think, "What will I do if I or an employee gets sick?" I know my priorities and I know what I will delete or delay in the event it cannot be done. Consistency doesn't mean you are consistent in every area, totally regimented. It means you are consistent in the areas of priority. Up next? How to be flexible within your schedule. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway 

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Michelle P. (the voice of the mailbags that you hear every Wednesday), one of our most veteran employees. Michelle was recently sharing how planning has changed her life. You see, Michelle works at Boston University by day and at Organize 365® at night and on the weekends. On her commute to work, she was listening to the episode about your trains and she had an "aha" moment thinking, "That's me, both my trains are running at maximum productivity."

Even in academia, they support the idea that physical organization of your spaces superchargers your planning. This is where Michelle found herself when listening to that episode. Recently, Michelle has even planned to be debt free in 2025! But she had time to plan that because she's freed up so much cognitive load and established routines. When she gets ready in the morning, she can think about whatever she wants because she's laid out her clothes for the week. There are no decisions to be made, she's on autopilot. After covid, she knew she was headed back to the commute and back to the office. She uses the Sunday Basket® Weekly Planning Sheets to make sure she's covered all the bases for her BU and Organize 365® responsibilities. She's planned the days she needs to wash her hair, if she needs to accomplish anything during her lunches, and of course, what's for dinner. Michelle has her organization in order, allowing room for her to plan. We do not apply the same planning importance or practices in the home that we do at work. And that is what I am working on, shining a light on the lack of planning at home and offering a system for it.

When you plan, we know it gives you time. As women, once we have fulfilled our responsibilities, we should absolutely do something enjoyable with the extra time. You can set the example now for your children so they don't grow up thinking you can never stop and just enjoy. Once you get organized, you can look at your time. Once you get your time planned, you can give attention to your health. Mental health like doing something you enjoy, and physical health like planning a walk, and your grocery list to make more healthy meals according to your family's phase of life. And I encourage you to be an observer of yourself. If you want to make a change, plan for it. Michelle knew she wanted to go back to the office for the early shift, so she planned accordingly and now she's a morning person. And she likes it! 

I know in my planning, I am generous with the time I allow for tasks because inevitably something will pop up. I like to look at my time like lego blocks that I can move around. I can go with the energy. Michelle admitted she had a lazy Saturday, but she wasn't stressed because she knew some things could get bumped to Sunday. She was able to allow for a lazy day because she planned. Because everything is planned, I too know that everything will get taken care of, it just may need to be rearranged, tweaked, or sandwiched somewhere else. 

Just when we thought we were done talking, we got on the subject of the holidays coming up. She is so excited this year. Michelle really benefited from the Mini Planning Day and the Holiday Blitz. She gathered information from her family to help her do less and yet meet everyone's expectations and honor traditions that were important. I cannot stress enough how little time there is between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Planning will be crucial to a smooth holiday/winter season. Wait until you hear when Michelle puts her tree up and why this year may be a challenge. Do you have a plan in place? 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Sunday Basket® Weekly Planning Sheet

• Organize 365® Home Planning Day

• Holiday Blitz - Registration Coming Soon!

• Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day

• Holiday Blitz Bundle + Holiday Blitz Mini Planning Day

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

The first building block to becoming a truly productive person is scheduling. Gretchen Rubin's personality test shows me as a questioner leaning towards a rebel. I love reinventing the wheel. As you know, I have been doing this through my PhD. And I recently came across a study that I have now read many times called "Who's Remembering to Buy The Eggs?" by Julie Holliday Wayne et al. It uses the term Invisible Family Load.

Invisible Family Load

I just loved the intentionality and thoroughness of the words she selected to sum up the invisible work of household managers. She started with invisible instead of mental which would imply mental only, but what about scheduling? Planning or worrying? Invisible is inclusive and encompassing. And then she used the word family to include people outside the structure of the home that a household manager would be caring for, like a college student or elderly family member. And lastly, she selected load instead of labor. Labor you get paid to do. Load was explained as being put on, burdensome, or weighing down a mind, thus requiring cognitive load and not getting paid for it. Do you know the top two tasks people marked the most as invisible in a study? Planning (#1) and Scheduling (#2); I think I'm onto something!! 

Schedules Sunday Basket®

I explained a few times that I created different types of schedules I have had in this episode. When I was still in-home organizing, I developed two types of schedules. I had one for working outside my home and one for working from home. I found that when a client canceled at the last minute, I would get frustrated and I was stumped on how to move forward with my day. Once I developed schedules, or scaffolding, for outside or inside work, I would just move to my working from home schedule when clients canceled. For my family, we had a weekend schedule and weekday schedule. Schedules simply keep you on task and eliminate decision making. Every Sunday, I go through my Sunday Basket®. Depending on things that need to get done that week, I can fill in my schedule, keeping in mind the routines I have established. It's a general guide or, as I mentioned, scaffolding. 

Scaffolding Planning Days

Schedules give you structure but keep in mind, they can be reevaluated. Planning Days give you an opportunity to tweak your schedules. The Sunday Basket® is weekly and Planning Days offer the scaffolding, zooming out a little. Maybe you notice you want to change activities on different days due to a sports schedule change or getting your PhD. In Home Planning Day, we develop routines for morning, afternoon, and evening. In Workbox Planning Day, we develop routines for starting your work day, mid day, and ending your work day. Those six routines reduce your cognitive load. You made a plan proactively, now all you have to do is run it, go on autopilot. 

Level Up Scheduling

Wanna take scheduling to the Nth degree? Schedule the people coming to your home. I mean, book them out far enough that you can get a complete list of all tasks before they come for the appointment. Once you know they are coming, you may find more tasks for them to complete. And schedule meetings with people. I used to want to connect with people but felt rude telling them it would have to wait two weeks, so I just wouldn't reach out or reply. I found over time that people don't mind at all. Book the meeting and connect. It may seem weird to book out two months, but the day will be there before you know it and you'll be connecting like you desired.

Truly productive people are always looking at their schedules and realize they support them through scaffolding. Schedules do not limit them. Up next? Consistency!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Organize 365® Podcast Resources

• The Sunday Basket®

• Organize 365® Home Planning Day

• Friday Workbox® Planning Day

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Lori R. who loves having her two adult children live with her. Lori learned her peers were really into podcasts. Lori was trying to keep a lot of balls in the air due to work, her children, and her husband was sick. She searched podcasts for productivity and found the Organize 365® Podcast. She listened repeatedly to the Sunday Basket® episodes and made a makeshift one of her own. Her biggest lesson? Think differently which goes against her engineering brain.  

Lori has learned a lot like DIY, hire it out, or delegate tasks. Like how she hired cleaners for her son far away at college. And you can just stop. This is the permission Lori needed to just stop projects or roles she no longer wanted to be doing. Lori's daughter was in competitive cheer, on two teams. That meant a lot of time at the gym. To be more productive, she loaded up her paper and a camp chair and went through papers while her daughter practiced. When you are scheduling everything, be mindful of drive time and the best time to use the bathroom. And you don't need to watch every practice. Let's normalize getting ahead on house chores while kids are participating in afterschool activities.

The podcast challenged her to think of other things she could accomplish during her daughter's hours at the gym, like the laundry that was bugging her and bringing a cooler to get groceries. As Lori told story after story of practical application of what she has learned, I realized she's been creating operational systems to help her home be functional. She finally invested in an official Sunday Basket® in 2021. Even her daughter learned if she needed an important paper, it was in her slash pocket. 

Lori initially invested in a Medical Binder for her husband. She was happily surprised to have her documentation pay off during covid. He had to go by ambulance a couple of times. She was unable to be with him. She had the peace of mind to take out his list of medications, photocopy it, and send it with the paramedics. Her husband passed away in December of 2022. Lori leaned on the Sunday Basket® to collect all the mail of her deceased husband for later processing. Unfortunately she lost her mother 10 months later. Her mom now has a slash pocket to aid Lori in settling her estate. And that made her a caregiver to her dad. He got his own Sunday Basket® to help Lori in the functionality of his life, too. The statistics say you could outlive your husband. And most women as the household managers end up settling their spouses affairs as well as parents or other loved ones. The Sunday Basket® and Financial Binder are gifts to yourself in these times. After talking to Lori, we identified that her daughter is fairly organized. Thinking differently, I proposed that her daughter help with her father's house and care.  

Lori's advice is, Just get started. Just do a little bit at a time. It adds up. And to get a Medical Binder. Sometimes the apps don't work at the medical facilities and it's great to have it on paper. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In the mindset trilogy of this series, "prepared" is the last part of mindset. We discussed going pro, being balanced, and now truly productive people are prepared, over prepared really. This level of being prepared can be weird to people or distance you from others, but you won't be the one scrambling when an unexpected life event rears its head. I'm going to give you some examples.

Go Bag

A friend of mine is in the caregiver role and I said what she needed is a go bag; think diaper bag for you as an adult. When my dad was sick and I needed to leave when I got the call, I had a go bag. And in fact, I'm going to put one together now and just hang it in the hall. What will I put in it? I'm glad you asked. I'll make sure there's my protein and fig bars so I can have healthy food if I am in a hospital or something. I like to have water bottles in there so I don't have to leave the person I am caring for, as well as a brush, hair clip, socks, sweatshirt or blanket (I'm always cold), battery to charge my phone and watch, and probably a notebook. You know, the things I like to have to keep me comfortable. It's a form of self care as you are pouring yourself into someone else. 

Being Overprepared

Truly productive people like to have a month or better lead time in their supply chain. Greg and I recently got sick for 7-10 days. But our house was fine because it is always stocked for about a month. I replace the last one before it becomes the last one. At this point we'd be ok for about 2 weeks before we ran out of necessities.There's plenty of crackers, ice pops, and other foods in the event we are sick or can't get to the store; the staples. Snow storms or ice on the roads here in Cincinnati? No problem because we are stocked. There's no need for my family or I to panic. When snow days or storms hit, truly productive people are prepared. They have anticipated unexpected life events and prepared as best as one can. The more prepared you are, the higher level of problems you can handle. Because you are prepared, you can handle a level 5 issue. But be unprepared and most problems can feel pretty chaotic. And truly productive people know their obligations, have them on their calendar, and can manipulate time and obligations to fulfill new responsibilities due to an unexpected event. If you aren't running at this level, I suggest you participate in the 21 Day Household Manager Bootcamp next month. 

The Power of Paper

I cannot share enough times when paper has come in to save the day. You cannot use your recollection as proof of what you are saying. Doctors, professors, and the general population want physical paper/literature to back up what you are saying. It's tricky because you know if you are out of milk or bread. But no one knows if your paper is not organized and prepared. You want to be at a point when important papers are required, you can grab them quickly. Recently, I needed OLD paperwork for one of the kids. The doctor was saying he didn't have documentation that far back. I was able to locate it and provide it. I thought for sure that such a big medical group would have had it, but no. Guess who did? Lisa. Me. I did. That's the power of paper. 

Truly productive people feel that whatever they are working on right now, their business, home, homeschool role, parenting, or their marriage, they decide to commit to it 100% for a productive outcome. Where is your focus? What is your mindset in these areas? Next? We're digging into a 4-part series on the building blocks of organization. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Truly productive people are always producing due to systems and routines they have established; I call these trains. They have their trains humming along which allows work-life balance. And balance means motion. If you are riding your bike, you are in motion while balancing. But when you slow down, you may lean to one side taking you out of balance. The same is true in life. But truly productive people can spot that imbalance and pivot and iterate to get back to balanced. 

It's a lot harder to start a stopped train…

It's a lot easier on your balance if you iterate, opposed to stopping and then trying to get the trains up and running again. Let me refresh your memory of March 2020 when all of our trains stopped. It took almost three years to get all the trains running again. Do you remember how much energy it took? Some trains slowed down too much and had to permanently pull into the station, going out of business. 

And recently with CrowdStrike going down for the airlines. It's just not easy to get the planes back up in the air. There is a trickle down stacking effect. The earlier flights didn't go out so they needed to get those people on their way before they could accommodate current time flights. It took a lot of manpower to get those planes back in the air and caught up on their scheduled flight times.

And the next likely time we can anticipate our trains stopping is the election…EEK!  You can choose to get tunnel vision and focus solely on the election and possible outcomes. And then get emotional for the few days that follow. You know what productive people will be doing? They will produce until election day, go vote, and go back to producing. Truly productive people recognize what is worth the investment of their time and money. They want to effectively and productively use their time. 

What took me out of balance

There I was chugging along with my trains. I survived Greg's surgery in December, the quest to solve Grayson's eczema for a while now, and other family needs for my time. I prepared the trains for the time I'd be gone in England. We had a fabulous trip and I jumped right into work when I got back. But something funny happened. You know I have told you your house will feel off and that is when it's time to iterate or reset, because organization and balance is a feeling? Well, I didn't do my normal summer reset. By the end of August, I had to take time off just to get the house back to normal. Why had my systems failed me? 

They did not fail me but I wasn't accounting for how much my family had needed me, not to mention all the time I gave to the remodels of Joey's condo and Abby's downstairs apartment. I realized I was completely over committed. Productive people can look at their systems and routines and pivot due to recognizing something like being over committed. I started to lean towards home and needed to get back in balance. I made three big decisions to put me back in balance. I have altered some plans at work to allow more home time. I have decided to take one less class to again free up more time to give to my family who have been in a season of needing more of me. This will lighten my load and allow me to stay in balance. You have to know when to take some cars off the train and send them to the yard until you can maintain them again. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Welcome to the 10 most productive weeks of the year! About 4-5 years ago, I was able to identify this natural productivity energy cadence in America due to the years of routine from school. Summer is relaxed but when we head back to school, September to December is fast and furious! And once we get into business, it's the same because businesses are ready to get out of the red and into the black regarding profits, hence Black Friday. 

Mindset

My family and other people have always given me a hard time about how productive I strive to be. I am happy when I am producing. I can't stop and I don't want to stop. I am where work comes from in Organize 365® and my home runs off my productivity. I do sleep and make time for my family, but my "normal" is being productive. And I have recently decided I am no longer apologetic for being productive. In fact, I've gone pro.

Going pro means being a truly productive person that is always effortlessly producing. It's not that you are just going to run a marathon, but that you are going to finish that marathon. And when you go pro as the home manager, you and your family benefit. What is there to apologize for? I mean, if you hired an actual home manager, would you want them to sit around or would you be thinking, "The house isn't going to take care of itself!" As a professional home manager, you give 100% effort and produce as a person striving for excellence not this pie in the sky idea or aesthetics of perfection. 

Be A Scientist Observing Yourself

You can learn so much if you just track where you spend your time. If you are running your marathon and feel the need for more time on a specific project, I encourage you to be a scientist of your own life. In my observation, I have decided I will not be getting extra productivity time by staying up late or getting up early. So where else could I gain time? I realized the other day how much time I could save if I didn't do my hair everyday. Bun hair days mean I get almost an extra hour each day. That's an extra hour to be more productive. At the same time, I felt something was off. After observing where my time was going, it became apparent that I was spending too much time in CFO tasks. I decided to knock them out in one Saturday to stop taking time away from my weekly objectives. That is what truly productive people do! Observe and iterate.

Marathon Energy

I am a big fan of Jesse Itzler. Jesse does all kinds of crazy athletic challenges. When I know Jesse is trying to complete one of these challenges, man, I watch him like it's my job. I am so impressed with his mindset. It's not a matter of if he'll finish, just how. Athletes are such a good example of someone who has observed their performance and constantly makes slight improvements. They account for all variables like the best weather conditions, energy they need to be in, court or track or pool conditions to result in their best performance. We applaud it in athletics and we should applaud it in our work and homes. We are in the thick of marathon energy right now. Capitalize on it! Get your Sunday Basket® in order so you can be present because you know every thought or idea is accounted for and planned. Now own that you want to be a truly productive person and focus on your marathon. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Podcast 10 Year Anniversary Giveaway

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

How do you remember what you need to do for the people you need to do it for, I mean really? Information management is the organization that will allow you to make informed decisions for the people, appointments, and processes in your life. The Sunday Basket® takes care of active papers, but some papers you need to hang on to. There are no more actions to do with this type of paper, but they are critical for future reference. I have a binder system, within The Paper Solution, to help you manage all the informational papers.

Medical Binder

The Medical Binder has allowed me to have many informed conversations with doctors that have led to not needing tests they may have required otherwise or access to medications the doctor may not have considered. I wanted to try to go on Clonidine to help with my hot flashes due to a hunch I had. I had my medical history with me in my Medical Binder. You know why I had it with me? My doctor does not digitize my records. So there aren't multiple medical records "talking to each other" or being updated. Being prepared for conversations with your doctor can elevate your conversations and the consideration your doctor gives to your concerns or desires. This worked to my advantage many times with my children as well while we tried to get them on a diet and medication that helped them to function their best. With the Medical Binder in hand, you can make critical decisions before you leave the hospital allowing you the best treatment. Let me tell you, you leave the hospital and change your mind? Your options are drastically different with higher price tags. This binder is a life saver!

Household Reference Binder

When we went to Europe, our smoke detectors went off. And Abby was going crazy so she called grandma, who called Joey. Joey really didn't want to call us. But it ended up being an easy fix due to the Household Reference Binder. Had I not filled it out, there would have been a couple of annoying days or some expensive invoice from ADT to come out and change the batteries. The Household Reference Binder can also remind you when routine maintenance is due and where you can keep appliance user manuals. This binder can also work to your benefit in selling your house - interested buyers will have peace of mind investing in your home when they know you took care of it and that there's a binder to help them take care of their new home. 

Financial Binder

We just talked about being the CFO of your home. The Financial Binder helps to organize all the financial aspects of your household economy. You can file away all your insurance documents as well as taxes in this binder for quick future reference. I have shared before that I file taxes for Abby and Joey. So this is where I store their license numbers, issue date, and expiration date to save me time when filing their taxes. I don't need it any other time of the year so it goes in this binder. This becomes a valuable binder when it comes to settling an owner's estate. This shaves so many billable hours off an attorney and saves you time, too!

Household Operations Binder

How does your home function on a yearly cadence? The Household Operations Binder is like your family's standard operating procedures (SOP's.) You may find papers from this binder go into "active status" in the Sunday Basket® for a season and back to the Household Operations Binder until the next time. These papers remind us of facts about holidays or annual events. This binder is also where your family could find information and complete tasks normally they could not because it would all be in your brain. But because of the Household Operations Binder, you have externalized the process thus lowering your cognitive load and sharing those tasks.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

It recently dawned on me that what takes most of my time when processing the Sunday Basket® is the CFO tasks. I used to spend time reconciling the checkbook, now paying bills that can't be automated, and discussing with Greg what we'd like to do with any extra money. But also as the CFO, I considered the amount of time I think about our money, insurance, wills/trusts, and taxes. And you probably do too! This is a very important role in the part your small business (your home) plays in the nation's economy.

You Must Prioritize Your CFO Role

You need to have life insurance, a will, and I talk about your taxes; all CFO responsibilities. What happens to your money in the event something happens to you or your spouse? I remember when I earned a cruise out of the country and we were discussing it with friends. It was brought to our attention that we should have a will and life insurance. When we really thought about how life would continue in the event Greg or I weren't here, we realized this was a wise investment. And let me tell you that $32 to insure me for $100,000 almost killed us every month because we were down to the penny. And every December when we'd get the invoice for Greg's much larger policy…ugh, I mean I still dread it!! But I understood the financial peace of mind it provided. Years later, I learned about trusts. And by that time we had a little money and some assets and that triggered me wanting a trust to explain our wishes of how the money would be dispersed to our children in the event it was necessary to access the trust. 

As the CEO of Organize 365® and my home, I am always thinking about how I can make us stronger and more resilient. And when I have asked that question in the past for Organize 365®, it has gotten the employees life insurance, Q-SEHRA health insurance, 401K, vision/dental, short term disability, and this year…long term disability for me. There are about 7 steps you need to take to get these safeguards in place for you and your family as the CFO. 

The Breakdown of Getting Financial Plans in Place

The Trigger - Maybe a friend goes through an unexpected event, you get advice, or you go on a trip and you realize it's necessary. 

Research - Decide what you need and then when you find the right person, they can put all the paperwork in place. 

Contact Agent - Usually by the time I'm reaching out to someone, I'm ready to buy.

Fill Out Paperwork - They will give you the paperwork to get the information necessary to provide what you are hiring them for. 

Meet With and Pay The Agent - Bring the homework back to them and, of course, they want money for services rendered - this stuff ain't free! 

Complete Actions - Once you get the final paperwork back, review it; update it when needed.

File It - File it for safekeeping and know where it is for quick access.

Knowing where you filed stuff brings me to the next topic of taxes. You all know I take care of a lot for Joey and Abby, including but not limited to their taxes. I have taught my children Organize 365® systems and we all use the same system of the Sunday Basket® and The Paper Solution® Binders. And I have organized my mother in law the same way. This makes it really easy for me to serve as everyone's CFO. Multiple users, but one system. I look the same place for each person, just a different binder or Sunday Basket®. Now when it comes to Organize 365®'s taxes, things have gotten more complicated over the years and I have hired someone to help and provide advice on tax benefits I could take advantage of. Know when to consult the professional to protect your family's financial health. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Betsy B. who lives in Portland, OR with her husband, daughter, 2 dogs, and one snake. Betsy has listened to the podcast for 10 years. She was inspired over the years as I grew Organize 365® that she too could start a business. Betsy is a deep thinker and loved the long episodes that lasted as long as her housework. And she loved that they were chock-full of insights. Betsy is an interior designer so she really took to a recent episode (#601) about how homes used to be constructed and how they supported the style of life then. Betsy gets paid to repurpose those designs to support phases of life her clients are experiencing. 

The homes in Betsy's area usually do not have access to the backyard because people used to hang their laundry in their backyards. But now, we like to have get togethers in our backyards. Betsy joked about how the things she's learned are "baked into Betsy" and her saying to herself "that's because of Lisa." I've talked in the podcast about iterating your spaces for the phase of life you are in. Betsy iterates the structure and I help you to iterate your spaces. For example, Betsy's cabinet in her dining room has served as a place for her china, then as a craft station for her daughter, and now it's where Betsy likes to work and "that's because of Lisa." She iterated her space.

We got into a discussion about remodeling spaces versus moving. It's a lot cheaper to remodel. Prices have gone up since the pandemic and we aren't returning to pre-2020 pricing. And still remodeling is cheaper than moving. Make your spaces work for you. I'm putting a second chandelier over my table and I'm not worried about resale. You know why? Because we aren't moving! We have made our house work for the phase of life we are in over the years.  

And then we hit the highlight of our conversation about checklists. Betsy struggles with adrenal fatigue. She has used the Organize 365® systems to efficiently use her energy. For their groceries, she simply wrote out a list of staple items, copied it, and there's a stack she pulls from before each trip to the grocery store and marks off the items they need. Betsy shared that she has more fun in her life now and added "obviously more time, peace, and space too." She can take part in the fun stuff because of her checklists. She externalized the executive functions to lower her cognitive load, thus making the fun seem possible. AND due to the lists she has created as she packs, her family can now help also lighten Betsy's cognitive load and energy required to do something like camping. The fun things don't seem so overwhelming. She's made it easy on herself with simple lists in page protectors and dry erase markers so they can reuse the lists. 

Betsy's advice is, "Start slow and keep it simple; just do that one thing. Go slowly if it's overwhelming. You don't need to make it complicated." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Home Planning Day

• The Paper Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Maria Montessori has made a huge impression on me and influenced who I am and how I run Organize 365®.  Maria was born in 1870, in Italy. She was a very curious person and wanted to pursue a medical degree despite her parents guiding her towards a teaching degree. She is a great example of someone who worked hard and followed her passions - I love those characteristics. After becoming the first female physician, she worked in a psychiatric clinic and observed the children. Not too long after that she did pursue a degree in education, not because she needed it but because she wanted to have the academic conversations so her work would live on. 

How Do Children Learn?

Maria was curious, "How do children learn?" She was in a population that was deemed uneducatable. She watched as their food fell to the dirt floors, they'd play with it, and then they'd eat it. She saw the children gravitate towards the manipulatives instead of toys or even candy. They thrived in the structured environment where children were learning independently and the role of the teacher is to observe,support, and guide.  Each student is treated as an individual. I saw this displayed, for the first time, in China. There was a quiet hum of productivity. 

How it applies to schools

Montessori schools operate in a 3 year cycle. For example grades 1-3 are together for three years; a multigenerational classroom. They will all have, let's say, a dinosaur lesson appropriate for their grade. Because of this structure the younger kids are looking up to the older kids. The older kids are learning leadership. And some children will find their niche and become the "dinosaur"expert, thriving in their purpose or their uniqueness. See any similarities to Organize 365®? 

As children we experience these Sensory Periods; think Golden Windows. It's a period of time when children are drawn to learn a certain skill. I gave the example of the Monkey Bars. For about two weeks that child will practice and practice. Once they get it, they move on to the next thing they want to learn. We all love to learn until about 3rd grade, what would happen if learning didn't become work? If we didn't have to fit within "the perimeters?"  I will say to thrive in Montessori school you need to be an independent learner, self paced, and hold yourself accountable without much guidance. There are still standards you need to meet, you just get to go about it the way that works the best for you. I know I would have really loved being in Montessori school. 

How it applies to Organize 365®

And so in Organize 365® I love to provide great school supplies and manipulatives.  You can learn at your own pace. I try to support your sensory periods, AKA Golden Windows the best I can. There is a community to connect with others, find those you want to emulate, and provide help to others just starting out. It takes about 18 months to get your home organized but by the time you are refining, you continue to hang around because you have found "your people" that encourage you to thrive in your uniqueness. And by then you understand how I operate as a teacher. And through it all, you gain time, confidence, and get to realize what you are uniquely created to do - you find your purpose.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Operational efficiency is where you get your time back. The Productive Home Solution® is a 52 week cadence to organize your home. I like to help change the thinking of our spaces about how we use them for our current phases of life. And with that in mind, some spaces can stay organized forever! I shared a few spaces that I want you to start thinking about differently and answered questions from you at the end. 

Can a Space Stay Organized Forever? 

Do you believe once you organize a space it could stay that way forever? Back in the day, Carol and I could walk into a storage space and reduce the amount of items by 50% in 90 minutes. How, you ask? We'd get rid of all those empty boxes for their tv, computers, phones, whatever. You will never need those boxes again. Then we'd toss broken items like furniture and electronics. Next, we'd install the HDX ventilated storage shelving with bins. We knew this worked, but why? Then it dawned on me, our storage spaces are like prepaid stores. You buy Christmas decorations once and get them out of your prepaid store each winter. Speaking of winter, we organize storage spaces in the winter because half of the stuff is out of the storage space at this time. This is also the time to toss things you no longer wish to use during the holidays. Once you tackle the storage space, it can stay organized forever with very little maintenance.

The Largest Space

The kitchen is one of the most used spaces in the home and efficiency is the name of the game for profitability and productivity. In The Productive Home Solution®, I challenge you to think about 21 specific areas within your kitchen. We set up stations like drink, baking, and lunch, as well as many others. And you will think about how your kitchen is being used for the phase of life your family is currently in. You will consider the staple items for your family. Remember, our homes are small businesses. And how do you stock this supply chain? This takes time! Three weeks at least, and then you will revisit it at least two more times as you go through The Productive Home Solution® again. Sadly, the first time you just won't get "done" organizing; I never want to be misleading about that. Give yourself time and grace. Remember, you are striving for excellence not perfection. 

The Order In Which You Organize Matters

There is a rhythm and reason as to the 52 week cadence of The Productive Home Solution®. After organizing many homes, being in the education world, and running a business, there are certain energies I have observed that coincide with that 52 week cadence. You all want to do the instant gratification areas of organizing, but then get discouraged because they're lots of times communal spaces that don't stay organized. Or it's July and you are trying to organize your storage spaces; wrong energy. I call this Swiss Cheese Organizing. There's a link below to watch the webinar to better understand why your organizing probably isn't working. The Productive Home Solution® sets you up for success by following the natural energy we all feel at different times of the year.

Lisa's Secret Sauce

I believe my secret sauce is articulating what a functional home feels like, functions like, and looks like. That articulation comes in the form of all of the material in The Productive Home Solution®, a private podcast, planning days, your fellow classmates inside the program, and the Organize 365® community. Time capacity comes from planning. Space capacity comes from storage. And production capacity comes from knowing what's coming up around the corner. Join The Productive Home Solution® and experience Home Planning Day for the upcoming most productive 10 weeks of the year to have more time for you to do what you were uniquely created to do!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Swiss Cheese Webinar

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In case you missed it, today I am sharing this audio replay of my recent Stay at Home Parent webinar.

I mentioned a previous webinar, Swiss Cheese Organizing. In this webinar, I share how the order in which you get organized makes a difference. I know it is hard to prioritize your limited time and resources, but you are worth it! AND your organization will help everyone around you! 

Now is the perfect time to join the Organize 365® community in the Complete Home Organization Bundle. This bundle includes all the essential tools for organizing, planning, and managing all the roles you play, as well as a FREE Complete Sunday Basket® System and The Paper Solution® book!

Sign up TODAY so we can ship out all your school supplies next week in time for Home Planning Day on August 24th!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Swiss Cheese Organizing Webinar

• Complete Home Organization Bundle

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In case you missed it, today I am sharing this audio replay of my recent Female Employee webinar.

I mentioned a previous webinar, Swiss Cheese Organizing. In this webinar, I share how the order in which you get organized makes a difference. I know it is hard to prioritize your limited time and resources, but you are worth it! AND your organization will help everyone around you! 

Now is the perfect time to join the Organize 365® community in the Complete Home Organization Bundle. This bundle includes all the essential tools for organizing, planning, and managing all the roles you play, as well as a FREE Complete Sunday Basket® System and The Paper Solution® book!

Sign up TODAY so we can ship out all your school supplies next week in time for Home Planning Day on August 24th!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Swiss Cheese Organizing Webinar

• Complete Home Organization Bundle

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In case you missed it, today I am sharing this audio replay of my recent Entrepreneur webinar.

I mentioned a previous webinar, Swiss Cheese Organizing. In this webinar, I share how the order in which you get organized makes a difference. I know it is hard to prioritize your limited time and resources, but you are worth it! AND your organization will help everyone around you! 

Now is the perfect time to join the Organize 365® community in the Complete Home Organization Bundle. This bundle includes all the essential tools for organizing, planning, and managing all the roles you play, as well as a FREE Complete Sunday Basket® System and The Paper Solution® book!

Sign up TODAY so we can ship out all your school supplies next week in time for Home Planning Day on August 24th!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Swiss Cheese Organizing Webinar

• Complete Home Organization Bundle

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Planning, planning, planning. Always planning, that's me. Greg asks if you can over plan and I just don't think so. As working women with children (or not), there is so much to consider and plan. That is what the Sunday Basket® does for you! Do you need to plan this much and have everything planned? No. But it will increase your intentionality and output. I talked about the idea of a train (momentum of productivity) that you can get moving; one for home and one for work. The idea is we can have it all, we can win at home and work through planning. Listen to episodes 570 and 571 to get the full explanation. 

How You Gain Time

In my active parenting years while growing Organize 365®, I was driving kids, helping with homework, did 100% of the house duties, had my direct sales business, my parents got divorced, my dad passed and I helped settle his estate, and I was just plain out of time. I wanted to share some ways I looked at my time and realized how to reclaim it. After about three years growing Organize 365®, I just came home and abruptly announced, "I am no longer cooking or going to the grocery store." I gained time and we saved money. It didn't take long before Greg assumed those duties. 

About 3-6 years after that, I had learned CFO and COO skills and started to apply them at home. I became more efficient with my time and resources. I think my family assumed a magic fairy came in and cleaned the house. I'd clean while they were away and then I'd work at night, but then my family thought all I did was work. So I flipped the script. I worked during the day while they were at school/work and cleaned while they were home. But I realized I could get those cleaning hours to work on growing Organize 365®, so I hired out my cleaning. And sometimes you just delay a task and see how long you can go without doing it to understand a better cadence for completing those tasks. Maybe it doesn't need to be done as often as you thought. We are not going for perfection; the goal is excellence. I use my time very purposefully through lots and lots of planning. I eventually abdicated all of my responsibilities at work and home and that freed me up to complete my very own book tour in 2021. Organize 365® ran smoothly and so did my home. My trains were fueled up and knew the directions to go. 

Trimester Home Planning

The Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day is to help you plan, abdicate, and be intentional with your time to get your home train running smoothly. It's trimester planning, which is what I realized we need to do for homes because quarterly planning never made sense to me. I have found that it is most natural to plan in January, Summer, and Fall for our homes. And that is due to all the school years where we start school at the end of summer, we have a winter break, and then a summer break. There is a certain energy that flows with those breaks and time of year. And I found I really like to sink my teeth into some sort of meaty project that could potentially take up the whole trimester. I broke down my planning and execution process of these meaty projects and the S.M.A.R.T.I.E.S. goal planning I use in episodes 596-599. I schedule our planning days due to that natural cadence I learned in my school years that continued into my teaching years. For Planning Days, we really take a look at your current phase of life. We are getting down to the details so when life tries to derail us, we have accounted for that and we just keep chugging along. Planning Day is the way to make goals realistic and possible. I strongly recommend Planning Day Prep. In Planning Day Prep, you will fill in holidays, birthdays, and other important dates in the planner. You will update your Sunday Basket® and update labels for your Sunday Basket®. You can move archive papers from your Sunday Basket® to your binders. Then on Planning Day, you aren't distracted by trying to do those things while the webinar is in progress and you are all set up to execute the planning that comes from Planning Day. 

8/24 Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day - 9 Steps (10-2pm EST live webinar)

1. Where are you in your current phase of life?

2. Time - 5 different ways you will look at it 

3. Habits/Routines - AM, afternoon, and PM routines

4. Housework - Ideal cadence for laundry, cleaning, and meal planning

5. House Administration - Your Sunday Basket®

6. Plan - 3 years, 1 year, a project, 4 months

7. Detailed Week by Week Plan - To complete your meaty project

8. Detailed Weekly Agenda - Daily plan 

9. Look at your time additional ways

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day with Lisa

• Home Planning Day Prep

• The Sunday Basket® Home Planning Day with Lisa + Planning Day Prep

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Kailley S. who is a busy mom of 6 with number 7 on the way. Kailley has a dog, she's married and her dad recently moved in with them. In 2021, Kailley was looking for an organization podcast. We actually met at a homeschool convention in Cincinnati. At the time, Kailley was expecting the twins (who are now 10 months); now she's expecting again! Kailley is in the accumulation phase of life and discovered she actually is organized. She knows where things are but that's just it, there are so many things with 6 kids. She's learned she's functionally organized. She gave the example of moving cups lower so the kids could get their own cups (which she wanted) and they didn't have to climb on the countertops (which her husband wanted). She continues to iterate their spaces as their kids' needs as they change and grow (SMART-I-ES).

Kailley used to go to her husband's business every Friday to watch the replay and process her Sunday Basket® while her mom would watch the kids. Sometimes Kailley and her husband even got to go out for a lunch date. But Kailley's mom's health worsened and she couldn't help on Fridays anymore. Unfortunately, her mother passed about 5 weeks before her twins were born. Kailley no longer took the time to process her Sunday Basket®, but she was still placing things in it for safekeeping. 

We pointed out at this point how important it is to know the phase of life you are in. Really busy phases of life may only allow for once a month processing. I know with the PhD right now, I am having to do my Sunday Basket® once a month. But organization is like riding a bike; the skill of organizing doesn't leave you. When you have small children under the age of 5, life is just chaotic. It's like once you get on a schedule, the kids change and the schedule is out the window! It's a time of life to give yourself grace. Speaking of grace, that's what Kailley wishes she would have known sooner. She was organized despite her spaces not being Pinterest perfect. We all need to give ourselves grace and not compare to others or what they are doing. This is something Kailley had struggled with in the past and the podcast reminded her of this lesson. 

Kailley homeschools her children, hosts a monthly co-op, and runs one of the ministries at church. Then Kailley added the twins as the holidays were approaching, her mother's passing, going through her parent's house, selling their house, and having her dad move in with them. Kailley's siblings were very helpful in going through and selling her parent's home. She purchased the Friday Workbox® for church and the Holiday Sunday Basket® Bundle too. Even with the addition of more Sunday Basket®s, she noticed all of them plus a laundry basket were overflowing. She's been able to declutter all the baskets and is ready to start a routine with the Sunday Basket® again. After all of that, she claims she feels like she is starting to catch her breath. It's the beginning of a new school year and she's got a plan in place for Fridays, with her older two going into work with her husband and her dad as the "manny" with the next three; she'll keep the baby. 

Kailley's advice is, "Don't let a perfect finish deter you from getting started. Start with just one small thing and often that leads to one more small thing. Before you know it, it's one big thing. Just do it!" 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Friday Workbox®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

I've said it before and I'll say it until I'm blue in the face, the Sunday Basket® is an essential operating system. Period. We are going to pull up our bootstraps and get prepared for the 10 most productive weeks of the year. We need to get home in order so we can get work in order. How do we do that? The Sunday Basket®. You had the summer to let your brain ooze and be relaxed on tasks, but now is the time to get back to organization and order. We are going to reset or start the Sunday Basket®, a system like no other. I have not found another system that can do what the Sunday Basket® can. Might I add, the Sunday Basket® is available for $179 right now! This is an easy and consistent way to keep overwhelm at bay. And when we are taking care of life, we have less negative self talk and more confidence.

A Safe Place to Delay Decisions

We delay decisions for many reasons. We get requests and ideas from ourselves, texts, DM's, emails, communication from our kids' schools and activities, friends, spouses, and work. They want answers but what if we say, "I'll get back to you on Sunday." One of the best reasons is that I find by the time Sunday comes, some of the decisions have been made or are no longer needing my attention. Also, when we see all the "demands for our time" at one time, we can prioritize and decide to commit or decline and pay or delay. It is a capacity creation machine!

Holding Ideas and Projects

Pink slash pockets are our friends. We have so many ideas and little time to do them, but we also don't want to forget. The biggest thing for me is scrolling through social media and seeing a cute idea or recipe for a holiday that has just passed or is too far away to get supplies and implement. Or when you see the perfect gift for someone's birthday or other holiday, you place the gift idea in their blue slash pocket! 

A Financial System for Your Family

We just got done talking about how our homes are small businesses fueling the American economy. The Sunday Basket® acts as a financial system for your home. You need a place to keep track of monthly bills (some are autopay and some need manual paying), your budget, and of course, all things taxes. It's a great place to keep medical bills if you will be using them for your taxes, as well as investment documentation, and insurance.

Two New Videos

I have added two new videos to the Sunday Basket® Set Up in Organize 365®.

The first video is paper organizing. I recorded a guest at one of my paper organizing retreats. We sorted all of her paper into active or archive papers - for your The Paper Solution® Binders. Turns out some archive papers were in her Sunday Basket® and that was slowing her down each week when she reviewed the slash pockets. Then, with her active paper, we turned it into her improved Sunday Basket®. We did it in 90 minutes, but I broke these down into smaller videos. And we reviewed the rule - If it can wait until Sunday, it must wait.  

The second video that is new is processing the Sunday Basket® start to finish. You see me do everything - print to do's, sort all the paper, label slash pockets, fill/review slash pockets in the Sunday Basket®, decide if projects and things for people can still wait, complete the tasks that must get done that week that aren't errands, plan the week on paper like meals, when I'll do my errands, and if I have any time to add a special project. There is a co-working time on Sundays at 5pm Eastern. The community is such an important aspect. You can process your Sunday Basket® while others do, too. You can ask questions, celebrate wins, and offer advice.

Invest in the Sunday Basket® and gain thinking capacity and 5 hours of time each week through planning, delaying decisions, and peace of mind.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, Jennifer H. has returned with an update. The last time I talked to Jennifer in 2019, she was living with her husband in their home and she was excited that her home was to an organizational level that if she needed to have company, she could be ready in a short amount of time; she just needed to tidy up a little. Jennifer was on her 9th round of the 100 Days Program (now known as The Productive Home Solution®). 

Jennifer shared that the next thing that happened was downsizing her home and her mother-in-law's things so she, her husband, and her mother-in-law could all live in her mother-in-law's 3-bedroom ranch. Due to Jennifer's faith, empathetic conversations, and negotiations with her mother-in-law, the transition was pretty smooth. 

In April 2020, due to the pandemic, her mother-in-law went to live with her sister in Wichita, Kansas so they could go through all her things and get situated in her mother-in law's home. They wanted to make sure she was somewhere safe in the event the world shut down. In May, they moved in. Unfortunately, in June her mother-in-law suffered a stroke. And after care didn't go according to Jennifer's wishes. Jennifer appreciates that while the siblings don't always agree, they all keep saying yes to caring for their mom and moving forward together, having tough authentic conversations. We had such a great in depth conversation about how all of our families responded in different ways to the pandemic, the vaccines, and integrating into life again. And now that her brother has retired, he has moved in too! And Jennifer has acknowledged the season of life that she is in and she is the CEO of their home. And that has started a conversation between Jennifer and her husband about their next chapter and if it's time for them to move out. 

It's so important to keep asking "What do I want?" As life and roles change, the answer to that question will change. And the answer to that question will dictate your reaction. And Jennifer says when she asks herself this question, she just takes the next right step towards what she wants. We can't control others, we can only control ourselves. 

Reliving those experiences really had us looking at tough authentic conversations those events force us to have. Often if we are open to listening to the other person, we find we are saying the same thing, just using different language. Just because you ask a question does not mean you are judging. Not all those events went the way Jennifer would have liked and that brought us to intuition. It seems as though there are shifts in life that force us to look for new solutions. We use reflective learning to aid our intuition to guide us towards a solution and what we are going to do next. When we resonate with an idea, that is a green light to explore the opportunities in that solution. Now that Jennifer feels organized, she can explore her next steps. She is still teaching part time, but also practices Reiki in an office setting. She's following her intuition. 

Jennifer's advice is, "If you have been listening to the podcast and you are still struggling, hire one of the organizers on the app to help you. They are worth every dime. And putting yourself on your calendar is the only thing to help you reach your full potential." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Paper Solution® Certified Organizer Directory

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Last week I talked about these large Presidential homes and why they were so big. But it also got me thinking about how they were run. Some had staff or slaves to help them, but some like John and Abigail Adams did not. Houses now aren't built or run like they used to be. 

Think About This

Our homes are small businesses. By that I mean we, our homes, contribute to 68% of the economy. We buy food, clothes, and products to run and repair/improve our homes and function of daily life. Why don't we run our homes with strategic focus on our priorities instead of trying to equal out daily tasks that will never be done anyway? AI is coming for the house last. We need to be empowered by objectively looking at our homes as an economic unit; a small business. When we have that perspective, we will make better choices. We are managing our work life and our small business (our homes) and the cognitive load is too great. You need to learn to defer tasks so you are working on the most important task. Think, what needs to get done? By when? In what order? And what things, if they don't get done, are not going to be a big deal? 

The Household Manager Room

I have always said the only reason I would consider building a new house would be to put the master bedroom on the main level and to finally get the household manager office I have dreamed about. We used to have this planning desk, but as I'm sure many of you have also experienced, it's not big enough. I want a whole room. So as I started to explain out loud all my organization and reasoning for where I have different papers for taxes, my project closets, Greg's memorabilia, Warrior MAMA Binders, my Sunday Basket®s, picture frames, and some of Grayson's stuff, it started to sound like a hot mess. I laughed, but in my head and on paper it's very organized. The only way I would improve their locations is to have this one room that the primary focus is to efficiently run my home. We should all be so lucky to have one space dedicated to the running of our homes. 

You Are the American Economy

Our homes are like startups. Very little money in the beginning, but the systems help us to focus and eventually turn a profit. The less goals at one time that we are focused on, the more productive and profitable our economic unit will be. We need to have managerial mindsets. In our homes, we have finances and operations. No matter if it's just you, you are married, with kids, or even a multigenerational home. The focus is no longer divvying up tasks, it's productivity. You take a leadership stance. You can only control and change you and your mindset. Decide what you want to do and lead by example. Oddly enough, others usually follow suit and fill in the gaps. When I decided I was no longer grocery shopping and cooking, Greg stepped in and our "food life" is even better now. And keep in mind as our family's grow, our roles will change too. As your kids grow, instill chores or hire help. Just like in business, people quit and systems change; so will your small business. It's good to do an audit of your home every couple of years. And as a leader with goals in mind, decide how to move forward effectively, productively, and profitably. 

Going into the next 5 episodes, I want you to think about the systems you have in place and how they can make you productive from a leadership standpoint. And how to run your home through strategic planning instead of a reactive mode of just trying to even out the workload.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Julie C., mom of three boys and two dogs and a wife. In December 2019, Julie was starting to organize her office and thought, "There's no TV in this room, maybe I'll find a podcast to listen to." She was really drawn to the messages along with the teaching of the Organize 365® Podcast. Julie had previously tried the Freedom Filer® Filing System, but ended up confusing herself with it. That's when she implemented the Sunday Basket® and got her paper under control.

Then when the unexpected event of a cancer diagnosis was received, Julie was able to lean on her Sunday Basket®. Julie's oldest son was a senior and she wanted to make sure his graduation celebration was perfect. Her family and friends were able to help her plans play out due to the organization of actionable items in the Sunday Basket®.

I have noticed in my 50's, some of my friends have experienced a cancer diagnosis or a heart attack. These unexpected events throw life off kilter. This is usually when we realize we need to get all the info out of our heads and onto paper in the event people need to access accounts and such and we are not in a capacity to do so. Our team had a crazy fall last year and I did a 6- part series of the different events and how my staff was handling them; check out episodes 555 through 560 to hear all about them. 

We can't control much in these events, but the Sunday Basket® gives us peace of mind. And I mention that Julie being able to have peace of mind gave her the ability to rest, which is when our bodies repair and heal. Julie was also encouraged by the Organize 365® community, realizing others had been in her shoes and learning what they did. 

Once Julie was back to work, she attended the Friday Workbox® Planning Day sans the Friday Workbox®. I laughed, but Julie explained all the benefits she gained from simply planning. Like scheduling a workout, actually putting it on the schedule in her day. Julie has also acknowledged with her kids getting older, she has more time. Due to the podcast, she was inspired with all her extra time to go for her Doctorate in Education for Leadership and Healthcare. 

Now that she's planning to go back to school, she's also been evaluating cleaning in her house. We talked about how you can clean your house OR you can hire that out and use that time towards a project or something like going back to school. We also talked about the stigma that comes with hiring someone to clean your house. You could feel "holier than thou" OR you may consider how grateful that person is to work, which could be what they really enjoy, and the ability to make money for their family. 

Julie recently became a member of The Productive Home Solution® and appreciates The Paper Solution® Binders. It's so important to have the information documented and now in her Medical Binder for the future. And speaking of the future, she wants to get the Launch Binders for her boys. We talked about learning the skills of cleaning your home or other home management tasks. We often learn them in the dorms at college. But what if you don't attend college, then how do you learn? In either setting, we agreed the Launch Binder is the way to go to share common knowledge with your children as they embark on their independent adult journey.

Julie's advice is, "Just get started. Lean on the system, it doesn't have to be 'done.' It's a journey, not an end product." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Friday Workbox®

• Friday Workbox® Planning Day

• The Productive Home Solution®

• The Paper Solution®

• Launch Binder

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Trish K. who lives with her adult daughter and grandson. On long car drive home, Trish was listening to her older sister tell her about this thing called the Sunday Basket®. When Trish got home, she hopped on the website and got a Sunday Basket®. It just made sense to her, one place for all the paper and a system to process it? Sold!

Trish enjoys the Sunday Basket®, the Productive Home Solution™, and the binders. But the biggest benefit she has gotten from Organize 365® was when she spoke outloud, her dream to walk the Camino Trail. Many years prior in night school another student shared she was taking 2 weeks to go walk the Camino Trail. Trish was in throws of active parenting and knew realistically she did not have 5 or even 2 weeks to go walk any portion of the trail. When Trish went through embrace and then attended the workshop with Rhonda afterwards, she remembered how to dream. And a long time dream resurfaced, walking the Camino Trail. 

She's not one to share dreams unless she's prepared to take steps towards it. But in the safe space with no friends or family, she confessed she dreamed to walk the Camino trail without intent to do something about it yet. She got so much positive feedback from everyone in the group that she decided to go for it!  She trained for a couple of weeks before she told her family and friends what she was going to do. She walked the Camino Trail and documented it all through a blog. It was a spiritual journey that she suspected may break her emotionally but it didn't. She had a spiritual journey and learned a lot long the way, those 34 days and 500 miles. She got to walk through the country not buzz by in a car but really take in the beauty of Spain. She shared a few accounts with us in this interview. The blog started out just as a way to let "her community" know that she was ok and share updates. 

A common thread in Organize 365® is "What's next?" It's funny you complete one room in your house and it's so rewarding that you think "What's next?" And Trish has realized to do the same with dreaming. So what's next on the dream list for Trish? To write a book. She got such great feedback from her blog that she wasn't intending to do anything with.  Now she's gonna write a book! She's dreaming now! It's no longer a mental barrier, she knows how to pursue a dream. She feels permission to think about what she wants, to use her resources on herself. She's bumped herself to the top of the list. 

Community, we agreed, is the other theme that runs deep in Organize 365®. The community where everyone is so supportive and inspiring. Trish first got to try out her idea in this non judgmental community that offered nothing but support to her. Her now friends. They cheered her on along her journey, read the blog, and commented. That community kept her going. Dreams flourish in community!  When you are in community, people like Trish are an example of what is possible. And in community, you can lean on others' strengths. What you don't understand or see how to accomplish, someone in the group has been there, done that, and eager to help!  This community is so eager to help we talked a little bit about the Disaster Relief Resources where we can help people in need and ask for things we need. No one needs to go through things alone!  We are a community!

Trish's advice is, "If you have internal messages questioning what you want to do come talk to someone in the Organize 365® community. Because they will give you the support and say 'Do it!' 'What do you need to do it?' What can I do to help you do it?' And to me, that's they same thing as 'Gee, I have 18 boxes of paper or I have this whole house to organize.' It's all about starting…just starting.  Get the Sunday Basket® and just start. And if that's too much, start listening to the podcast." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Trish's Blog: Listen and Bloom

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• Embrace - Self Guided Retreat

• Blitzes and Bootcamp

• Disaster Relief Resources

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

You guys know I'm a history nut and this episode is all about homes from the past and our current homes. I live in the purple state of Ohio. Fun fact, more Presidents have come from Ohio than any other state; 8 Presidents to be exact. I've toured Presidential homes in Ohio many times. I was even the greeter at Stan Hywet's home. It's so funny for me to think about homes in the late 1800's to early 1900's versus homes today and how we use them. And I absolutely drool over the libraries. These were successful people and successful people read. Homes in that time were multipurpose. They were large. Not for the sake of large rooms, but for the sake of having space for entertaining and working. It's so easy for us to forget how much harder things were in the past to travel, work, entertain, to just live!

Eating

If you stop and think about life in the 1800's to early 1900's, there weren't easy travel paths. There weren't restaurants, nor were there hotels. If you had guests, they were likely not there for just the afternoon. It's so interesting for me to think about the need for eating areas for workers, family, and formal entertaining spaces to have meals with guests. He even had a morning breakfast room! Meals were long, too. There wasn't tv, movie theaters, or public spaces to hang out. So long dinners it was. And due to the architecture of the homes, the guests never saw the kitchen or the other eating areas. The largest room would often be the entertaining space. Owners may have entertainment and the whole community would be invited. The talent would stay with the owners. 

Sleeping

These homes were so large with so many rooms. On top of all of the entertaining and eating rooms, they needed to sleep. One of the President's homes had the owners' wing with bedrooms, another wing for live-in workers. There was a wing of rooms, kind of like a hotel for guests. Remember, guests were probably there for a week or longer and your workers lived there, too. 

Working

The doctors, lawyers, and other professionals of that time didn't have big fancy offices they drove to each day. No, they worked from their home offices that usually had separate entrances. Some of the doctors had a secretary office that you would enter, then proceed to the doctor. I think the reality is we are all working from home nowadays. We all, well not Greg, but most have email on our phones or are checking on something at the office if you do have a brick and mortar you report to each day. 

Ponder

Do our homes reflect how we use them? On the podcast years ago, I asked Jay Papasan, who co-wrote The One Thing, when did we get home manager offices in every home. He snickered and said architecture is the last thing to change, and that's granted we all agreed on what we want! That's why all of our homes are fairly similar to that of the 1950's, after the war. Until next week's episode, I want you to ponder some spaces in your home. I want you to think about your formal spaces and if you use that space often. Have you allocated space to an activity you don't do like entertain guests? Lots of times we meet at restaurants. So are you using your spaces effectively, functionally for your life today? Are you using your house functionally to eat, sleep, and work? 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• The Productive Home Solution

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Mara D., mom of four boys and happily married up in Connecticut. Mara organized her closet the Marie Kondo way and felt lighter and brighter. Her friend planted a seed saying she should do that for others. But how? She searched for podcasts about starting an organization business and found the Professional Organizer's Think Tank Podcast. Mara loved that it really gave her direction on how to get started.

We discovered we are both educated in the psychology world. There's a difference though between clinical and general psychology PhD's. I'm learning so much about psychology, but really I just want to do my own research in the future. I'll be focusing on positive psychology.  I don't have an employer paying for me to do this or a grant to be approved for me. Once I get my PhD, I will be paying to do research for the sake of the general population. Clinical seems to be for the sake of diagnosis for insurance and medication purposes to get things back to normal. 

Mara was explaining the Sunday Basket® to all of her clients. When it came to paper, Organize 365® had the solutions. Some organizers may say it 's all digital, that you don't need the paper. But not in our capitalist society. I mean our birth certificates and social security cards are still on paper! And because we aren't a socialist country, our health information for example is not available to anyone. It's only available to the people we choose to provide care to us. So then Mara got to thinking, maybe I should experience the Sunday Basket® since I'm telling all of my clients about it. That was like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie because then she wanted to get Sunday Basket® Certified and The Paper Solution® Certified; she values The Paper Solution® Binders.

Mara points out to her clients that the solution is you; you have to regularly process your Sunday Basket®. The Sunday Basket® allows you to budget your time like you do your money. When you budget, you proactively decide what resources, time or money, will be spent where and when. You are in charge instead of caught off guard and needing to be reactive. It also allows you to procrastinate on purpose. So often I find when I delay tasks, by the time they need to be completed that week, the task doesn't need to get done anymore. Someone else has completed the task, the deadline has moved, or requirements of that task have changed. So you may think you are working ahead when there is so much magic in just waiting. 

Mara now has more time as a result of planning, is consistent, and more patient with others because her to-do list is getting accomplished first allowing her to pour into others. She has more trust in herself to show up and have clarity in her goals.

Mara's advice is, "Any system works if you think it, visualize it, and know your why. Visualize the look, the way you'll feel, and the functionality you desire. Then when you are deciding on items to keep, toss, or donate, the decisions will be much easier." 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Sunday Basket®

• The Productive Home Solution®

• The Paper Solution®

• Professional Organizer's Think Tank Podcast Playlist

• The Paper Solution® Certification

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

Some people say, "Lisa how do you do it ALL?" And some people hear all I'm doing and say, "Me too!" If you say "Me too!," you are going to love this episode because it's completely devoted to my process of planning. I share all my strategic thought process behind the days I have meetings to why I make time for the community on Fridays. I remember hearing, "If you want to grow a business, you must be consistent." I want to offer a consistent experience for the Organize 365® Community. 

The Inception of The Sunday Basket®

I revisited the story of how the Sunday Basket® came to be. I had this 14" high stack of papers. Joey took really short naps. By the time I sifted through the paper stack and found an actionable thing to accomplish during his wink of sleep, he'd be awake again. So one night, when the kids were in bed and Greg said good night early, I sorted all that paper into 40 piles! I placed those 40 piles in separate folders and they all went in my Longaberger Basket. The next day when Joey laid down, I quickly pulled out one folder and got something accomplished.

Reactive to Proactive

Once the Sunday Basket® was proving to be effective for me, I started to enforce the rule of, "If it can wait until Sunday, then it must wait." Once I processed the basket I could make my weekly plan, my follow through. I have found the waiting to be magical!

I was using one basket for home and work, but soon realized I should split them into their own boxes. And that's when I started moving faster, getting more done. So 6 years ago, I started manufacturing the official Sunday Basket®, designed to help the slash pockets stand up and color coded in colors that Organize 365® uses. I went into great detail of the evolution of Organize 365® and products in episodes 521 to 525.

New Adult Planning Tools

I look at my week that I am a CEO as Monday 8am to Thurs 8pm. And from Thursday 8pm to Monday 8am, I am a home manager. I shared how this is really working to my benefit. I was getting frustrated though that all the planners start the week with Sunday in the month view. I want to see Saturday and Sunday together. And I wasn't really sure where to document odd things that need to get done, like a baby gift for my hair dresser or ideas for social media for an episode that would not get published for weeks still. Where does one put that information? So I came up with three new products to help you plan. 

2 Year Dated Planning Calendar (AKA "Lisa 2 Year Planner")

This planner starts with Monday as the beginning of the week. It starts in July 2024 and goes through 2026. This planner will help everyone who plans out a period of time rather than details of a week or day; it's not a date book.

Rainbow 52 Week Planner

This planner has 6 rainbow colors vertically, in rows. I can plan out as far as I need to with this information that I used to not know where to write. The pages can be dated or kept blank. There are periods of time I use it and then the week of vacation I don't. Make it work for you.

Rainbow Weekly Planning Sheet

It's a similar idea as the planner, but labeled one week at a time, or seven boxes horizontally. I use the pink row for social media ideas, the orange for all things podcasting, the yellow for new products; you get the idea. There are seven boxes but you do not need to acknowledge the week day. You can view it as seven items to plan and implement. You can color code your family for needs and activities or a student for their subjects in school. And it matches the Lisa School Binder from the Kids Program!

All this planning in the name of staying consistent, also known as your follow through. 

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• Friday Workbox®

• 2 Year Dated Planning Calendar

• Rainbow 52 Week Planner

• Rainbow Weekly Planning Sheet

• Lisa School Binder

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!

In this episode, I introduce you to Allie H. Allie is a busy lady being an Assistant Professor, pursuing her PhD, taking care of her four children (currently ages 9,7,5,2), and being married to her supportive husband. Allie wanted to change her negative self talk about her home and her life. She'd been following Sarah Hart Unger's blog and she talked about me and Organize 365®. Allie first found Organize 365® through the podcast. What Allie found in listening to the podcast was organizational advice that was applicable in our busy lives, but also about how to have a positive mindset. She loved that when she finished each episode there was an actionable task. This was specifically helpful as Allie transitioned from young adult to her own, more mature, family. 

Since she'd been listening to the podcast, when she got her Sunday Basket® she knew what the colored slash pockets were for. She used pink to dream and much to my suprise, after just having her 4th child and getting ready to return to work, she threw in "Learn Italian." I guess leading by example I have taught you people well to dream! I shared that I love travel and looking back to 2015 it was a dream of mine then that is now starting to come true. And Allie knew it may not be right away, but she dreamed of learning Italian because she is Italian. Also, this goes to show the capacity that is in all of us. Allie pointed out that when we dream and then fulfill those dreams, we are filling up our cups to keep pouring into our families and careers. 

Allie made a makeshift Financial Binder and put all the important papers in there. When she needed her son Henry's birth certificate, she knew right where to look. She expressed how much time the products and systems save her as well as her cognitive load. And at work she uses her Friday Workbox® to keep all documentation of her accomplishments for the year because the university she teaches at requires that. It's also a safe holding place for her CEU's and other certificates. Her students know of it, too. When they finish a lab with results, they suggest placing it in the Friday Workbox® to have for the next time they do that lab or a similar one. Allie pointed out that due to the size of the Friday Workbox®, it's easy to leave at work or bring home and it keeps her from retaining too much paper. With Allie being successful in her career, a thriving family, her lack of negative self talk, and two hours free most nights, it prompted a conversation about capacity. We are told this lie that you can't have it all and do it all well. But we humans have so much capacity when systems are in place. Don't feel bad for wanting more; we can do more than we think!

Allie, being a teacher, is home for the summers. Allie shared that this summer she made a checklist of activities so next summer she's not starting from scratch with ideas to entertain her four children. And I slipped in a couple of little tips. Once I complete taxes or fill out school paperwork for my children, I always ask myself, "Am I going to have to do this again?" If the answer is yes, I make copies of the filled in paperwork or I make a checklist for ease next time. Also for ease, I make a note to myself when running errands or traveling if I need to put more diapers in the diaper bag or fill up the shampoo. That way when I get home, I fill up whatever it was and then I'm set for the next time I travel. 

Allie's advice is, "Listen to the podcast, take it in, and decide what are a few things you can implement. Also progress over perfection. We don't need to be perfect, but nice and good people that are happy." Often times we get to see the after but we don't see the "doing."  It's in the doing part we get to functional organization, not picture perfect, which results in confidence and happiness.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Sunday Basket®

• The Paper Solution®

• Friday Workbox®

• Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

On the Wednesday podcast, I get to talk with members of the Organize 365­® community as they share the challenges, progress, missteps and triumphs along their organizing journey. I am grateful that you are reaching out to share with me and with this community. You can see and hear transformation in action. If you are ready to share your story with us, please apply at https://organize365.com/wednesday.

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media!